Oath Of Kings And Knights
by ZERO-xxx
Summary: In order to preserve magecraft and balance in the world, Queen Elsa sacrificed herself to The Moon. All went well for the next several hundred years until a series of cataclysmic events triggered the start of the Lunar Night Wars. Elsa Strom participates in the war in hopes of having her ultimate wish fulfilled [JELSA] [ModernAU] [Inspired by Fate/Zero]
1. A Noble Sacrifice

**A/N** New story? Let me explain - I wanted to post this after I finish my main fic, Marionette, but I couldn't help it. Being a huge fan of the Fate series by TYPE-MOON, I've been playing with this idea in my head for a longest time. It's an AU that I think works well with the RoTGxFrozen crossover universe. Not only that, but I do want to write some "less dark" Jelsa fics that will appeal to a younger audience, but still appeal to an older audience as well.

This is a Modern AU (the first chapter will not be in the modern setting, but history/backstory is needed, yes?) featuring Elsa with powers, magic universe in general, familiars, and a human Jackson Overland, along with 'Jack Frost.' Main pairing will be Jelsa, but side pairings will include Kristoff x Anna, Eugene x Rapunzel, and Hiccup x Astrid. Characters from RoTG, Frozen, HttyD, and Tangled will be present in this story.

I hope this will be entertaining as hell because I'm honestly going to have so much fun writing this. I really hope you guys will enjoy this!

Cheers! I'll be listening to the Fate OST as well as the opening songs, which could be found on Youtube, while writing this entire fic. I suggest that you guys give them a listen while reading if you'd like!

 _Cover credit goes to Kai Shizimi; found on Zerochan; original character is Saber (King Arthur Pendragon) from Fate/Prototype_

* * *

 **Oath Of Kings And Knights**

 _Summary: In order to preserve magecraft and balance in the world, Queen Elsa sacrificed herself to The Moon. All went well for the next several hundred years until a series of cataclysmic events triggered the start of the Lunar Night Wars. Seven mages are selected by The Moon and are allowed to summon a Guardian spirit in order to protect them._

 _Pairings - Jack x Elsa, Kristoff x Anna, Eugene x Rapnuzel, Hiccup x Astrid_

 _Rated T - Violence, mild sexual themes, language_

 **Chapter 1 - A Noble Sacrifice**

* * *

The moon glowed with an ethereal blue light, creating a slight halo around its glorious body. A pair of icy blue eyes gazed upon it for the longest time, before tearing themselves away in distress. The half-crown made of ice rested upon the back of his head, catching the moonlight's beams beautifully as he turned to face his beloved queen.

"There is a war on the horizon," he informed her as she slowly approached him. His voice was dim and downtrodden, very much unlike him.

The platinum blond queen approached him, her beauty stunning as she was bathed in the warm moonlight glow. "It would appear so," she muttered under her breath, holding her hands neatly in front of her. She moved closer to the edge of the balcony that overlooked the immediate town beneath her. Beyond the castle gates, she could see the townspeople scrambling to pack their belongings and leave before the impending war dawned on their homeland.

"Are you not going to stop them?" the white haired man that stood beside her asked, looking out over the chaos that had befallen the once glorious kingdom. "Even some members of the royal court are leaving."

"No...let them, for I do not blame them for their actions." A befallen sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes as soon as an icy wind blew past her. "They shouldn't pay for the stubborn foolishness of their queen."

"Stubborn foolishness? Your Majesty - "

She chuckled softly, facing her loyal knight. "Didn't I tell you that it's okay to call me by my name, Sir Frost?"

The young man smiled ardently at her, responding back astutely, "and you as well - Elsa." His heart swelled with affection for the young queen that he served when she giggled delicately into her hand. She truly was the personification of the word 'beauty.' With a forlorn sigh, he suddenly, gently, brought her into his arms.

"Jack…?" Her eyes widened at the sudden display of affection given to her.

"You did all you could do as the Queen of Arendelle."

"Did I?" she said with a wry laugh. Elsa pulled away from him, resting her hands on his long, arm length fingerless gloves. The soft silky texture ran smoothly underneath the delicate tips of her fingers as she held them there. "I refused the help of the kingdom of Burgess just because its king wanted my hand in marriage. I should have swallowed my pride and accepted - "

She stopped when Jack pulled her in for a breathless kiss. Her sapphire blue eyes went wide for a moment, completely caught off-guard by the act of dominance, but relaxed into a glazed, half-lidded stare as she enjoyed the romantic gesture. A lovely blush decorated her face as he pulled away slowly.

Jack smiled a little at the sight of her adorable expression. It was a look that was reserved only for him and to think that if she had gotten married to the King of Burgess, she would show that face to him as well and that was completely unacceptable. "I apologize," he murmured, scattering random kisses all over her heart-shaped face.

"...F - For what?" Elsa asked in a daze, closing her eyes and thoroughly enjoying the butterfly kisses her gentle knight provided.

"If I ever gave off the feeling that I didn't want you to marry the king."

"Jack," her gaze softened as she pulled back slightly to cup his face. "I refused to marry him on my own terms - not because of you."

"But - "

She quickly shushed him gently. "I also, fell in love with you on my own terms."

Jack laughed mirthlessly as he took her hand in his. "You spoiled this knight too much, my Queen. What will the people say when they find out you rejected the king of Burgess' offer and made love to your knight on that very same evening?" he chuckled, bringing her hand up to kiss her smooth knuckles.

"They will know no such vulgar thing, Jack," she fired back pointedly, eventually breaking her stern expression into a lighthearted laugh. Elsa smiled calmly as she looked out over her kingdom once more. "...I figured that I'm perfectly fine ruling my kingdom alone. I have no need for a king or to enter a loveless marriage simply for the sake of uniting two kingdoms. Arendelle is strong and its people are ready to fight if necessary," she stated in a clear voice.

"That is true," he commented with a slight chuckle. Jack turned to look out at the town, watching the frenzy of people evacuating. "While the humans are running away - " A faint glow of blue emitted from Jack's right hand, growing brighter. In a dazzling shimmer of electrifying blue light, a long shepherd's staff found its way into his hands. He held it, resting it on the ground, with confidence. " - The mages that your kingdom has taken in will defend our queen, no matter what the stakes are." He stepped close to the young woman and took her slender hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Elsa gave a loving smile towards her loyal knight and bowed her head in modest gratitude. "I am eternally grateful for your servitude, Jack."

The white haired man gave her lips a little peck before he let her go. In a hushed voice, he whispered with confidence, "I will make sure that your mage knights are at the ready. We will protect your kingdom from theTrinity no matter what - Queen Elsa."

* * *

She knew the situation was becoming dire. Her coalition of mage knights had fallen victim to much of the Trinity's armies over the course of just a mere week, according to Jack. While her kingdom had the power of utilizing mana to cast devastating spells, the Trinity far outnumbered them. Her kingdom was in grave danger of falling and at this point, it was too late to do anything - except…

"Elsa," Jack drew in a quiet breath, looking on worriedly as he watched her slowly drawing out an arcane circle that was reminiscent of an intricate snowflake. However, despite its pretty design, Jack knew exactly what it was.

A sacrificial magic circle.

She used her own magic for the preparations, holding out her hand as she formed the permanently cold ice lines on the stone grounds of her throne room. After a short while, she gasped sharply in pain and cried out as she drew back her hand. Elsa stumbled back, prompting Jack to dive for her.

"Elsa - !" He stopped when he saw the tell-tale signs that the sacrificial ritual had begun by the markings that were beginning to take form on her right hand. Jack drew in a shuddering breath at the sight of the bright red marks on the back of her hand and scolded her. "Why are you doing this!? There is no need for you to go so far - !"

The blond grit her teeth and struggled in his arms, trying to get back up on her feet. "I took...on...an oath when I took the throne," she said with a strangled grunt as she pushed herself up onto her feet. Setting her blue eyes in a fierce glare, she stepped back into the incomplete magic circle and held out her hand. Elsa stifled down a cry of pain as she forced herself to resume her work.

"Please stop this!" Jack urged her, standing back up onto his feet, the heavy soles of his brown leather riding boots falling short of the outside perimeter of the massive ice circle. "We can come back to fight another day! Your cousins in Corona have offered their kingdom as a sanctuary for the mages, including yourself."

"Retreat and then what…? Put their lives and kingdom in danger as well?" Elsa argued with a sharp tongue, causing her knight to take a step back. "The Trinity made it clear that they want to eradicate magecraft from the world and Arendelle is the final safe haven for us mages. I refuse to submit to them and show that they can do whatever it is that they want - !"

"And _sacrificing_ yourself is the answer!?"

Elsa brought down her hand weakly, gasping for air as she weakly stood in the middle of the incomplete magic circle. She could feel the warmth of her blood running down the length of her slender fingers, from the sacrificial seal that was painfully carved into her hand due to the ritual. The blood dripped onto the gray stone ground and for a while, she stood there silently, increasing Jack's worry for her.

Finally, she spoke, breaking the deafening silence. "Jack…" she whispered, straightening out her back. She tilted her head back to look up at the ceiling. "It may not make sense to you as to why I am doing this. You are a knight serving a queen and your duty is to protect her at all costs. However...I am a queen - someone who swears an oath that she must protect her people and her kingdom at all costs."

Jack saw her turn around and he stood there awestruck at how serene she appeared despite being her disheveled appearance. She smiled slightly at him, hiding her pain cleverly.

The platinum blond drew in a deep breath through her nose, silently, and turned around, facing away from him. She clenched her fists loosely, as her eyes rested upon her throne several feet away from where she stood. "I must do all I can to protect the people of Arendelle - _as their queen_. That is my role," she whispered gently.

The sound of a low bellow of the war horn could be heard in the distance, a clear sign of the Trinity's army closing in on Arendelle. At this, Elsa bowed her head somberly, knowing the impending doom that was to befall her kingdom. It eased her mind slightly knowing that much of the mages and citizens had fled to nearby kingdoms willing to take in refugees. Not to mention, her sister and her fiance had fled for refuge in Corona days ago. She had no doubt that they were safe and out of harm's way, and that thought alone brought her comfort.

"Elsa," Jack said cautiously, hearing the sound of the battle horn once more. "It's not too late to back out now. We can still run - "

"No," she responded in a firm voice, holding out her hand again and conjuring up the last bit of mana left in her body. Elsa fought through the intense pain that wracked her body, holding her injured arm with her other hand. The arcane circle crackled with the intense cold that she produced. The entire throne room was submerged in a deep freeze, a layer of frost covering the walls and all the furniture. While the cold would have bothered a normal human, it hardly bothered either of the ice mages that stood in the subzero temperatures with ease.

Jack looked on helplessly, wishing that he could help her, but any proficient mage knew that a sacrificial ritual would be corrupted if two different mana sources were used. He clenched his fists tightly, his blunt nails digging into the white silk of his fingerless gloves."If you wanted to do all that you can for your kingdom...you should have accepted the King of Burgess' hand in marriage. He did tell you that he would offer aid to Arendelle upon your union - "

"Don't say such foolish things, Jack," Elsa said, trying to keep her voice steady as she pumped large amounts of her mana into the ritual. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the pain she endured. Her mouth gaped open, panting heavily as the circle neared completion. "...I may love my people and my kingdom, but...I love you more. I cannot possibly enter something as sacred as a marriage when I've already committed myself to you."

His icy blue eyes widened at her words. "...Elsa," he breathed out.

The sacrificial circle underneath her feet was encrusted in a thick layer of unmeltable ice. She finally lowered both her arms, gasping for air as she finished the preparations for the ritual. The temperature in the room began to rise once more, the ice thawing ever so slightly. She fell to her knees, feeling faint. Her ice encrusted train billowed out slightly behind her as she placed both hands on the ground for support.

Jack rushed to her side, kneeling down beside her and offering her support as he helped her back onto her feet. He worriedly looked on after her, seeing that she was completely pale in the face. A sacrificial ritual was not an easy one to set-up. To his knowledge, it drained a mage's mana immensely and Jack knew that if Elsa had been just an ordinary mage, she would be rendered unconscious from the lack of mana. However, she managed to stand back up onto her own two feet and soon after, he saw the color in her face returning.

"...Thank you...Jack," she breathed out, smiling as she rested her head against his chest. Elsa looked up at him and locked eyes with his. "It is not too late to go," she murmured, clutching at the soft dark blue fabric of his cape tied loosely around his shoulders.

Jack gently kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. "It is not for a knight to abandon his queen…" he paused and looked down at her, tilting her head up slightly by the chin. "...and it certainly is unbecoming for a husband to leave his wife for death."

Elsa felt the gentlest of kisses placed on her lips. She relished the feeling of his soft lips on top of hers until she snickered softly against him. "Husband and wife?" she remarked softly, "we have yet to complete a proper wedding ceremony, Jack."

"Is a ceremony really necessary to validate our relationship?" He smiled handsomely at her and held the young queen close. Burying his face in her soft blond locks, he whispered, "...I love you, Elsa."

She felt a wetness develop in her eyes as she heard the war horn bellow again in the distance. A single tear fell from her cheeks and she whispered back, "I love you too, Jack..."

Not too long after her declaration, she could have sworn that she felt a tear drop on her head followed by a soft sound of comforted agreement by her knight.

* * *

"I _highly_ disagree with His Majesty's ruling. His presence is not required here and he has no business in Arendelle after Queen Elsa rejected his hand in marriage," the black haired man scoffed as he rode alongside one of the king's respected generals.

His green eyes narrowed slightly. "Lord Pitch, I believe the only presence unneeded here is _yours_."

The lanky tall man snorted, the nostrils of his hooked nose flaring in irritated anger. "General Night, you certainly have a sharp tongue. Favoritism with the king has inflated your ego." His gold-hazel eyes flashed dangerously as he tightly held the reigns on his midnight black horse. He matched Night's deathly glare and eventually his thin lips curled into a sneer. "Or are you supporting His Majesty's decision simply because you are a mage as well and you wish to help your brethren in Arendelle?"

Night could see that Pitch was eyeing his unnaturally white hair that was caused by the overflow of mana in his body. "...I simply wish to stop the spilling of innocent blood."

Pitch chuckled darkly. "Mages are hardly considered _"innocent."_ Don't you know that magecraft is the center of all the evil in the world? I mean - who are the ones that summon vampires to kill off the humans?"

"Yes, there are those that misuse magecraft for evil, but the same can be said for humans as well. There are mages that are opposed to using their unique gifts against the humans. Have you forgotten that it was because of magecraft that the vampires in Burgess are suppressed?" the green eyed man fired back with a tone that simmered with contempt.

"Yes, but - "

"Lord Pitch," a new voice suddenly interjected, drawing the attention of the two men and breaking their tirade. When their eyes averted from one another, they looked towards their honorable king. He never once looked back when he spoke to them. "If you have such a close-minded view of mages and magecraft, I suggest you align yourself with the Trinity."

"Your Majesty," Pitch said, speaking up as he ushered his horse to pick up the pace so that he was a bit closer to the king he served. Feigning an apologetic tone, he laughed lowly and commented, "I was just trying to lighten the mood with a joke - "

"The fate of Arendelle is no joke. The genocide of mages and the purging of magecraft is _not_ a joke," the king commented, his youthful voice sharp and stern.

"Apologies, Your Majesty, but is it necessary to bring up the glaringly obvious fact that Queen Elsa of Arendelle rejected your hand in marriage? Surely, she is a beautiful, dazzling gem even though she is a mage herself, but why are you trying to help her kingdom?" Pitch inquired, an eyebrow raised as his golden orbs rested on the back of his king's head.

Although Night did not want to admit that Pitch had a point, he too, wished to know why his king wanted to help Queen Elsa when she rejected his offer. He stared at his king's warm brown hair, as he rode behind him. Although waiting for an answer, he widened his eyes when he finally heard what he had to say.

The young king's lips spread into an endearing smile as he looked on into the distance, spotting the pointed towers of Arendelle's brilliant palace. "...I swore an oath as king...that I would protect all those that I hold dear - that includes my people, my kingdom, and _the queen that I've fallen in love with_."

Night blinked in astonishment. "Your Majesty - " he whispered, surprised that his king had an unrequited love for the Queen of Arendelle. His speech was cut short as the king's army reached the hillside that overlooked Arendelle - or what was left of it.

The gentle king's smile fell sharply and his warm brown eyes took in the sight of the once glorious kingdom of Arendelle being burned down to ashes. Although they could not hear any blood-curdling screams or the sounds of terror, indicating that the entire kingdom was abandoned, they could hear the shouts of the Trinity's army as they stormed the palace.

Night looked on in horror at the burning kingdom. "...We're...too late," he whispered.

"No," the king uttered in a broken whisper. In an act of impulsive action, he slapped down the reigns on his horse and raced down the hillside towards the fiery battlegrounds.

"Your Majesty!" the white haired man called out, chasing after his king.

A bright, blinding light - one that left the entire army of Burgess awestricken, including the king who stopped in his tracks. The celestial body seemed to pulsate as it shone brightly overhead Arendelle. Night looked in amazement and wonder as the moon was briefly shrouded in the most dazzling shade of blue he had seen, before it returned back to its normal icy white color.

"...What in the world was that?" Pitch asked in shock of what he just witnessed.

"A _sacrificial ritual,_ " Night breathed out, his lips still parted in awe. "...It must be Queen Elsa. She is the only mage in this region able to perform one enough for the moon to react."

"Sacrificing _what_ exactly at such a dire time? Her entire kingdom has gone to ruins, she has nothing to give," the pale, black haired man commented incredulously.

The general drew out a staggering breath. "...She's sacrificing the only precious thing she has left - _her life_."

* * *

 **A/N** The "Knight"Jack has a design inspired by the Winter Prince illustrations floating around on the internet. :) And yes, there are vampires in this story, but they don't look human at all and are rather dangerous, bloodthirsty creatures that are more towards the horror genre - rather than the "romanticized" vampires that plague this section and the internet in general. They are creatures summoned by "evil" mages that partake in the dark side of magecraft. Anyways -

Reiterating this again - I was inspired by the Fate series (Fate/Zero, Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Prototype..etc)

I don't want people coming to me and saying, "oh wow, did you copy this idea? It's strangely familiar-" I'd like to say inspired. I will not be following the storyline for any of the Fate series. I'm simply using the concept. :)

'Til next time!

-ZERO-


	2. Disappearance

**A/N** Thank you to all those followers! I'm surprised that this many people are taking interest in this story haha. I thought people would be like, "wtf is this shit" honestly 8')

...Some probably still are.

Will be listening to the first opening song of Fate/Zero (Oath Sign by LiSA) while writing up this and the next few chapters!

 **Oath Of Kings And Knights**

 **Chapter 2 - Disappearance**

* * *

"Let's go build a snowman, Elsa!"

She heard that line every single time her next door neighbor, Jackson Overland, came over to pester her. There was never a moment's peace with him around. He would come by no matter what - rain, sleet, hail, and Elsa had no doubts that he would come by even if there was a hurricane.

The young blond haired girl crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her sapphire blue eyes at him in annoyance. "It's past my bedtime, Jackson - "

"No, no, no," the brunette shook his head with a slight chuckle. "Don't call me that, it sounds so... _adult-y_. Call me Jack."

She rolled her eyes. " - You mean _'formal'. 'Adult-y's_ not even a word, _Jackson_."

"Yeah I guess so, and it's _Jack_ ," he reminded her with an immature snicker.

Elsa refused to believe that he was a year older than her. He hardly acted like it. She also refused to believe that he was the eldest sibling in his household. Like her, he also had a little sister and as an older sibling, Elsa believed that you should be the one to set a good example for them. However, Jack had a different idea of how to treat a younger sibling - one that involved pulling immature pranks on them just to get a cheap laugh out of other people.

The twelve year old frowned deeply at the young boy that stood at her doorstep. "It's late. Go to sleep," she said curtly before moving to close the front door.

"Oh come on!" he urged her with a stubborn persistence. He rocked back and forth between the ball and heel of his feet excitedly. "I want to see your magic!"

Elsa sighed heavily, holding her head. "Jack…"

"Pl _eeee_ ase?" he asked, clasping his hands together, practically begging her.

"My parents said that I shouldn't use it freely - especially when it's not necessary, _like right now_."

"I know, I know - Jaime's parents say the same thing, but - "

With suspicion, Elsa tapped her foot on the ground and asked, "speaking of him, why don't you just ask Jaime to play with you?"

Jack kicked at the ground, scrunching up his mouth to one side as if he was pouting. "I would, but his parents are strict with curfews…" he shrugged, "plus, his magic isn't that interesting to look at compared to yours."

"You think telekinesis is boring?" She gave a dry laugh. "It's very nice to know that you think of us mages like we're animals at the zoo or attractions at the local fair, Jack."

His dark brown eyebrows knitted together in confusion and Elsa could tell that he was about to retort with what he thought would be a clever, but amusing quip. However, she quickly cut him off before he could open his mouth once more.

With a loud exasperated sigh, she placed her small hands on her hips and asked him, "you should know the struggle that we mages go through by now. Both your mother and father are proficient mages that teach magecraft at the Mages' Association. Surely they must have told you about what the public thinks of us."

Jack looked at the haughty young girl sheepishly. He felt as if he was being scolded by his own mother whenever he spoke with Elsa. "Of course I do," he responded with a goofy grin, prompting Elsa to roll her eyes once more.

Even when they were toddlers taking their first steps, his parents told him that Elsa always kept him in line in regards to his tomfoolery and kept him out of trouble. While he was a free spirit, boisterous at times, and a clown that lived to make people laugh, Jack was usually the target of bullying by the students at the association.

Despite his parents being some of the best mages in Burgess, Jack had absolutely no affinity for magic. His mana channels were dry and his magic circuits were fragmented, thus he was unable to perform even the simplest of any magecraft. Of course, he still attended lectures and classes at the Mages' Association upon his parents' request, a final hope that if he absorbed some information about magecraft, he would suddenly get the ability, but so far it has been futile. Of course, being the only non-mage in the entire institution, it made him a target for other students that liked to use their magic to torment him.

Elsa made a little face out of concern when she spotted a light red abrasion on his forehead. It was slightly covered by his bangs in his own vain attempt to hide it. She stepped forward and pushed aside the hair to get a better look at it. "What happened?"

Jack laughed and held the back of his head. "I fell."

She narrowed her blue eyes at him and glanced at the injury again. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that it looked less like an abrasion and more like a light burn injury. "...Jack...did Hans do this to you?" she questioned, her voice growing in volume due to anger.

He chuckled lightly, making it sound like a dragging scoff. "Was it that obvious?" he asked her.

"He's the only mage at school that would dare lay a hand on you still." Elsa pulled back her hand from him and let out a disgusted sigh. "I'll have to deal with him tomorrow - "

"Don't - " he cut in, reaching out to grab at her hand. "I can handle him," he reassured her, only to have the blond raise an eyebrow at his request. Although Jack was forever grateful that she saved him from bullies since they entered the Association at the age of five, he couldn't just keep relying on her all the time.

"Fighting with your fists isn't exactly effective against a mage that can throw fire at you. You'll get burned before you even land a hit on him," Elsa replied back flatly.

Jack cocked his head to one side, flashing her a look of confusion. "And you think spraying a bit of ice at him would make it any better?"

"It worked last time," she said with great confidence.

He laughed at the fond memory of the last time Elsa squared off against Hans when she caught him tormenting Jack. Without a second thought, she created pillars of ice that immobilized Hans and his friends, leaving them in a very awkward position at the Association's courtyard until they were found by the groundskeeper the very next day. "It took the entire day just to free them," he said, snickering into his hand.

"See?" Elsa said, smirking. "I'll just do the same thing the next time I see him."

Jack's smile fell a little at her comment. "You really don't have to," he responded nervously, hoping that she would get the hint and not push the conversation any further.

"Why not?" she questioned him skeptically. "You know I can handle him."

"I know you can. You're considered a prodigy at the Association after all, but - " his voice dropped, setting an uncomfortable atmosphere between them.

Elsa blinked, trying to figure out what Jack was keeping from her. "Jack - what's wrong? What aren't you telling me?"

He eyed her a little and eventually mumbled out a response under his breath. "Hans...he - uh - thinks that I'm not able to fight my own battles."

"...What?"

The young brunette boy clenched his fists out of embarrassment for admitting this to her. His voice dropped to an attempt at a gruff, mocking voice of him trying to sound like Hans. " _'Are you even a guy, Jackson? A girl has to protect you. You don't even have the balls to fight me properly before you go running to your little icicle for help.'_ \- or he said something like that."

Elsa fumed, her blue eyes wide with anger. Under her breath she whispered dangerously, "ugh, he's such a little prick. How dare he! Wait 'til I get my hands on him - !"

"Come on, Elsa - _don't_ ," he pleaded with her. "He's gonna think that I came running to you again for help."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Isn't that why you came over?"

"Of course not!" he retorted strongly. He held that expression for a while before he looked away timidly. "I just wanted to see your magic - "

" - _Absolutely not_."

"Oh come on! Please, Elsa! I'm injured!" he exclaimed, pushing back his bangs to allow for a clear view of his reddened forehead.

"You think that's going to give you my sympathy?" Elsa asked in an annoyed tone.

"...Maybe?" He laughed sheepishly again, eliciting another eye roll from his childhood friend.

Elsa pursed her lips tightly, drawing in a sharp intake of breath through her nose. She held it as she gave Jack a scrutinizing glare, before finally she gave in with a heavy sigh. "Fine," she muttered, defeated, as she invited him inside her family's house. "Just a for a few minutes, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course - !"

"And keep it down," she hissed, gently closing the front door behind them. "My family's asleep. I don't want to be scolded by them for bringing you in here at this time of night."

"Your parents are friends with my parents," Jack snorted, prompting Elsa to shush him sharply. "It'll be fine," he reassured her with a wave of his hand.

"Whatever. Just be quiet."

The two tiptoed towards the back of the large house and into the spacious backyard of Elsa's house. Luckily for her and for Jack, their families lived up on a hillside community, giving them privacy without any nosy neighbors being able to peer into their backyards. It was the perfect area for Elsa to practice honing her magecraft without being seen. Also in this case, it was the perfect area for her to show off her magic to Jack, who was eagerly awaiting on the magical display.

Jack grinned almost ear-to-ear, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he stood a few steps away from her to give her space to work. His brown eyes instantly lit up in wonder when he saw the first flurry of snowflakes float out from her palm. Her ice magic looked wonderfully beautiful. She could produce delicate little snowflakes mixed in with sparkling ice crystals that never failed to mesmerize him.

As Elsa showed off her magic, she lost herself in it. Although she felt the constant danger of being hunted down by the Trinity, she loved being a mage and could not imagine her life without magic. It was the love of her life and she would not give up anything in the world for it.

With a delicate twirl, causing her nightgown to billow out, Elsa created a spinning swirl of ice and snow behind her with each step. A swell of pride and confidence rose in her chest when she heard Jack clapping for her and cheering her on. He was always easy to entertain when it came to magic. He found solace in magecraft as well. Elsa knew far too well on how much Jack wanted to be a mage himself. With his entire family, including his little sister, being able to perform some type of magecraft, she could only imagine how he must feel being surrounded by the one thing that he desired most.

Deciding to wrap things up, Elsa slammed her foot down on the soft piles of snow she created and beautiful blue-purple spikes began spreading out across the ground. The pattern eventually grew to be of a snowflake and Jack stared in awe as the ice crystals beneath his feet. They seemed to catch the light of the moon beautifully and create what looked like a dazzling light display of different hues of blues and purples.

"Woah," Jack breathed out, breaking into a soft laugh in amazement. He raised his head to look at her and gave her a toothy grin. "That was awesome!"

She had a haughty smirk on her face and with the slightest lift of her arm, she conjured up a perfectly built snowman out of ice. "And there's that snowman that you wanted to build."

His eyes went wide as he touched the glassy looking ice sculpture. When Elsa saw him inspecting it as if it was a foreign object he had never seen before, she couldn't help, but laugh.

"What's the matter?" she asked, trying to stifle down her laughter in order to talk. "You always act as if it's the first time you've seen my magic."

"It's just so pretty!" he exclaimed excitedly, laughing like a little kid as he rubbed the top of the ice snowman's head.

Elsa's smile drifted into a frown as she watched him, a sudden feeling of sullen darkness filling her conscious. "...If only the rest of the world saw what you saw."

Jack stopped. "Huh?"

"Regarding magecraft…" she muttered, kicking a pile of snow she created. "I wish I didn't have to keep it a secret...I wish people wouldn't treat us like we're freaks of nature or fear us." Elsa sadly bowed her head, closing her eyes as a cool, crisp fall wind gently blew through her backyard.

Jack stood there in silence for a while, quietly studying his friend before grinning widely. He bent over, scooping up some fluffy snow that she had created and balling it up into a perfect little sphere before throwing it at her with a light toss. When it hit her temple straight on, he cackled, holding his stomach as he remained oblivious to Elsa's deathly glare.

" _Jack - son_!" she enunciated with a sharp scream, fuming as pieces of slippery snow slid down the sides of her face. Her temper flared when she heard his unceasing laughter. She let out a frustrated growl. "You're _so_ immature - !"

"And you're too uptight!" he fired back playfully as he tried to stifle down his laughter. When his laughter ceased, Jack said to her, "you don't have to keep it a secret if you don't want to."

Elsa wiped away the excess snow off of her face and stared hard at him. "It isn't that easy, Jack." Her expression fell slightly as she muttered, "I'm sure you're well aware of what eventually happens to mages that get found out. The Trinity will not only take them away, but also their families - even if they're not mages, like my parents and sister. I can't possibly put their lives at risk just because I want the world to accept me for who I am."

Jack watched the blond as she waved a gentle hand over the snow, making it disappear. It seemed to dissipate into ethereal blue orbs, softly floating up into the air and fading away at a certain point just before they could hit Elsa's hand. He noticed her downtrodden face, indicative of how much this situation was bothering her.

Elsa watched as the snow she produced, retreated, melting away. "...They didn't show Queen Elsa of Arendelle any mercy. You should know this too Jack since you attend lectures at the Association. She was the greatest of all mages - " she whispered as the snow and ice completely disappeared before her. Her delicate arm dropped to her side, limply. "They probably won't hesitate to kill me or my family when they find out that she's one of my ancestors."

* * *

The students slowly filed out of the large lecture hall. It was going to be a long weekend and many were excited to hang out with their friends or simply stay home to relax. As a rush of students ran past Elsa, she took out her smartphone to call her parents, wanting to inform them that she would be home a bit later.

A long weekend for her meant that she had the leisure of practicing her crafting skill of catalysts and she required materials for it from the Association's storeroom. The very thought of being able to craft such valuable items that could boost her magecraft brought tingles of excitement shooting through her body. She couldn't wait to get started -

"Elsa!" No sooner did she hear the all too familiar voice belonging to Jack, did she feel a heavy arm thrown around her shoulder.

"...Jack," she said with a certain level of disdain. She frowned at him and immediately her frown turned into a grimace at the sight of a white bandage plastered across his forehead. It made him look ridiculous. "Are you trying to become a target for Hans again?" she asked him as she tried her best to ignore his goofy grin.

"What?" Jack drew back incredulously, widening his brown eyes. "Of course not! My mom told me to wear this," he said with a heavy sigh. "It got a little more red since last night and she refused to let me go out without a bandage." He snickered, leering at her. "I pull it off well though, huh?"

Elsa rolled her eyes and shoved him away. "Don't flatter yourself, Jackson. If Hans has any brains left in that skull of his, he would stay away from you from now on. You told your parents, right?"

The brunette nodded vigorously. "You said that would be best, so I told them last night when I came back home."

"Good." Although Jack was a handful at times, Elsa appreciated the fact that he normally listened to every word she said. He was loyal, respectable, and kind to her and quite frankly, she couldn't ask for a better best friend.

"Where are you going?" he asked, holding his book bag that was standard issue to all of the Association's students.

"To the storeroom," Elsa replied curtly. "My professor signed off on allowing me to create catalysts. He thinks that I'm ready."

Jack scoffed as he walked alongside her, keeping up with her brisk pace. "Of course you are. If you aren't qualified to make cata… _'cataracts_ ' - "

" - _Catalysts_."

"Yeah, those," he laughed sheepishly. "Then who _is_ qualified? You're the best mage this Association has ever seen!"

Elsa held her head just a little bit higher as she was showered with praise by her friend. "I suppose you're right."

Jack smiled at her, happy to be the source of her confidence at the moment. He then, contemplatively looked up at the high, arched ceilings as he asked out loud, "come to think of it, I think we learned about them in lecture today. They're those things that boost your magecraft, right?"

"Correct," she answered him and returned the grin that he wore on his face with one of her own. "I need to start creating some now."

"What for?" Jack asked as they reached the storeroom. "It's not like you need extra power for performing the spells they teach here."

Elsa held out her right hand at the door, palm facing upwards. An intricate, light blue seal appeared briefly on her skin before the heavy stone door rumbled open. The seal itself immediately disappeared, indicative that it was a one time use access key. The two young students stepped inside the massive storeroom and paid no mind to the oddities that decorated the shelves, for they had been in there multiple times in the past to be surprised by anything in the room.

As she perused the shelves, looking for the ingredients she needed for the catalysts, Elsa answered him in a soft tone, "you still remember what I told you last night, Jack?"

"Huh?" He quirked an eyebrow up in brief confusion. "You mean...about Queen Elsa?"

"Yeah." Elsa hopped up slightly to reach for a jar of rare blood crystals. She studied the contents for a while before taking out a few of the red minerals. "I need to start creating catalysts because I feel like they would be useful in a few years time."

"A few years?" Jack asked curiously. "What's gonna happen in a few years?"

"In nine years, to be exact, there will be another Lunar Night War," Elsa calmly stated, picking up another jar that looked like it contained a white powder of some sort.

His eyes widened in astonishment. "A ' _war_ '?" he asked incredulously. "What do you mean? I think Burgess' president is doing a decent job at his diplomatic affairs - "

"No," Elsa said exasperatedly, setting the jar she held back down onto the shelf. "Not an actual war. It's a Lunar Night War. It occurs every 100 years and the next one's going to happen when I'm 21. That's why I need to be prepared now."

Jack blinked at her for a while before he asked, " _wait, wait, wait_ \- you're thinking about participating in a _war_? Are you crazy, Elsa? Okay, I know I said that you're one of the best mages at the Association, but this is _insane_. Why the heck would you - ?"

"This is my decision, Jack," Elsa retorted sharply. She turned back to the shelves and explained in a calmer tone of voice, "when Queen Elsa sacrificed herself to the Moon on the night the Trinity attacked Arendelle, she made a wish," Elsa explained calmly, catching her friend's attention. "Her wish was to keep magecraft protected."

The brunette young boy furrowed his brow. "Well...no offense to Queen Elsa, but that didn't work at all. Mages are still being hunted down by the Trinity and you guys still need to live in hiding."

"I suppose that was the only flaw in her wish," the blond replied back with a dry chuckle. "Magecraft should be protected - _not mages themselves_ \- that's why the Moon granted her wish by creating the wars. The mage that wins the war against six other mages can have their wish granted."

" _Any_ wish?" Jack let out a soft whistle, impressed with the idea. "So you just gotta fight the other mages and win?"

"It's not as simple as beating them in a fight. ...A mage can only win by _killing_ the other participants."

The brunette's expression turned into that of a worried panic as he suddenly exclaimed, "and you're still going to participate? Elsa, what if you die - !?"

"I won't, Jack!" Elsa snapped at him.

"But there's a possibility you can! Are you sure this _'war'_ is even beneficial to mages? How could the Moon set it up so that it's to preserve magecraft? Isn't it counterproductive to the cause? It sounds like something the Trinity would concoct to lure skilled mages into a massacre - !"

Hearing Jack speak out against the one thing that she had set her mind on, Elsa stubbornly refused to listen to what he had to say. "The Moon created the wars after Queen Elsa's sacrifice, as her final dying wish. Being a neutral party, the Moon cannot favor either the mages or the Trinity, so that's why the mage that wins the war can have any wish of theirs granted at the expense of six other lives. It's a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things."

Jack watched her as she continued to inspect the mason jars filled with colorful minerals. "...That's a little dark," he commented.

"Of course," she replied softly, looking pensively at the jar she just set down. The tips of her fingers lingered on the smooth glass just ever so slightly. "You take what you receive...that's the natural order and balance of the world and the Moon judges that. You cannot get what you did not give."

* * *

White - the color was omniscient.

 _'How strange…'_

The sound of a young woman crying echoed throughout the vast icy wasteland. It was soft lament, no heaving sobs or choked gasps. The grieving young woman had a beautiful head full of platinum blond hair, tied in a messy french braid, and wearing the most beautiful of dresses. It seemed to be adorned with ice crystals that sparkled and made the teal dress shimmer exquisitely with the light from the Moon. She was crying as she was held in the arms of a knight clad in shining white-silver plate armor that he wore on his chest and shoulders.

The knight's face was not visible as he kissed her cheek tenderly. He raised one armored hand up to gently stroke the top of her head and in the other hand, he held a large broadsword, plated with steel and embellished with gold. The wind stirred, tousling his wild white hair, as he held the beautiful woman against him protectively.

His pale lips parted, murmuring something to her as he gave her a final parting word before he started disappearing in a soft blue ethereal light. Just as the woman screamed, reaching out to grasp at his hand, he dissipated, turning into hundreds of brilliantly lit blue orbs that were carried away by the whipping icy winds.

* * *

With a gasp of shock, Elsa's eyes shot open. It took her a while to realize that her alarm clock was blaring beside her head, screaming at her to wake up. When the young girl sat up, a flurry of papers - notes on catalysts - fell off of her, some fluttering to the floor of her bedroom. She wrinkled her brow as she held her head.

The dream she just had felt all too real. It almost felt surreal in a sense, but before Elsa could linger upon it any longer, the sight of her small black cauldron caught her eye.

That's right - _her catalysts._

She slammed her hand down on her alarm clock, cutting off the blaring noise, and hopped off her bed in a rush to see what became of her extensive weekend-long labor. Surely enough, when she approached the black pot, a wide grin adorned her pale face and a victorious cheer followed.

* * *

Jack stared in amazement at the glittering teal gem Elsa held up to the brightly shining sun. His chocolate brown eyes widened as his mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape. " _Woooooaaah_ …" he breathed out, excitement mounting in his voice as Elsa turned his attention down towards her other hand, where several more gems where. "These are catalysts?"

"Mhm!" The platinum blond smiled broadly at her work. She handed one over to Jack, who gladly took it for further inspection. "I was a bit nervous when I started working on them on Friday after classes, but I woke up today and saw that they were near perfect."

"That's awesome!" Jack exclaimed, bouncing happily as he walked alongside his friend. He made sure that the contents of his bookbag didn't spill out onto the sidewalk amidst his excitement. "Are you going to keep making these from now on?" he asked, handing the glittering gem back to her.

Elsa nodded. She dropped the catalysts carefully into a small glass jar she produced from her bookbag. "Most of the professors know and are encouraging me to participate in the Lunar Night War, so they're letting me take whatever materials I need from the Association to create catalysts." She smiled as she dropped the last gem into the jar. "They all want me to do my best...and win once they found out what my wish was."

Jack raised an eyebrow as they barefully slid down a small embankment, down to an underpass. As he helped Elsa down, he asked her, "what is your wish anyways? I don't think you ever told me."

She sighed exasperatedly, smoothing out the pleats on her white skirt. "I told you several times before, Jack."

"Come on. I wasn't paying attention!" he exclaimed, as they walked into the underpass of a noisy roadway.

"That's your problem!" she fired back sourly. A grimace spread across her face when she stepped in an unknown green sludge with her clean brown uniform shoes. "Ugh - I swear - this shortcut to school gets worse and worse every single day - "

She got cut off when she heard a loud roar behind them. With her fast reflexes, Elsa produced a strong blast of ice just as she turned around, blocking the fiery attack and saving both her and Jack from being badly burned. When the effects of the two elements colliding finally cleared, she narrowed her eyes at who she saw standing before them.

"Hans," she growled from behind gritted teeth.

The auburn haired fire mage grinned smugly as he and a few of his friends stepped out from the thin covering of smoke produced from his magic colliding with hers. "...So," he began, "I hear the great Elsa Strom is planning to participate in the upcoming Lunar Night War?"

"Yeah - and? What's it to you?" she spat out.

Hans chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "You really think that the Moon's going to choose someone like you over the _hundreds_ of other mages that are far more experienced? Or did you forget that part?"

Elsa frowned. She was well aware of that fact, but it hardly bothered her. Magecraft was something she took pride in and she refused to believe that she wouldn't be chosen as one of the seven participants in the upcoming war. With a wry chuckle, she fired back at the young boy, "with how much you're concerning yourself, Hans, I wouldn't put it past you that you sound like you want to join as well."

"Maybe," he replied, languidly brushing off some dust on the lapel of his white school uniform blazer.

At his response, Elsa snorted. "You aren't even half the mage that I am. I'm much better at magecraft than you and you know it."

"Want to find out who's better then? Right here, right now?" Hans asked maliciously as a red magic circle appeared on the ground beneath his feet.

Jack took a step back, wary of the fight that was about to ensue between the two mages. However, he felt more at ease when Elsa responded with, "you know you're risking your life by performing magecraft out in public like this, Hans. You never know where the Trinity has eyes."

"In a dirty underpass like this?" Hans asked, shrugging arrogantly. "Please. You're just scared I'll win, Strom."

His friends snickered, making fun of Elsa and agreeing with what Hans said. Despite egging her on, Elsa refused to take the bait. Instead, she sharply turned away, beckoning that Jack follow closely by her. "Let's just get to school, Jack," she whispered.

"Aw, she's scared," Hans mocked, laughing alongside his friends. "Hey, Overland!" he shouted out after them, addressing Jack this time. "How about you? Finally got the balls to face me head on instead of waiting for your little snow princess to save you?"

Elsa shot Hans a deathly glare and tugged at Jack's arm. "Come on, Jack. Don't listen to him - "

Taking his arm back from her grasp, Jack turned around on his heel and marched back towards Hans, who seemed impressed by the brunette's sudden display of aggressiveness. His normally kind brown eyes were narrowed in a ice cold glare as he faced the fire mage, baring his teeth. Before Elsa could stop him or before he could gather any sort of rationalism, he brought back his arm and threw a punch directly at Hans' head.

The young auburn caught his fist in his hand and sneered at Jack's futile attempt to fight him. A low chortle escaped him as he yanked Jack forward by his arm and knee'd him hard in the stomach. The brunette gagged, but was offered very little time to recover before he was kicked away with an added burst of mana.

"Jack!" Elsa ran forward to help her friend, who had fallen flat on his back, several feet away from Hans. She knelt down beside him as he propped himself up by the elbow, coughing out a bit of blood. At this, the blond snapped her head sharply towards Hans and shouted, "you coward! This is too much against someone that isn't a mage!"

The soft bluish glow of his magic circuits disappeared from the leg that he used to kick Jack away. He dusted off the white pant leg and smirked. "Well, Jack wanted a hand-to-hand fight last time, so I gave it to him."

Jack glared at him as he wiped away the bit of blood that lingered upon his lips, staining the white sleeve of his uniform.

"Oh don't give me that look, Overland," Hans chuckled. "Not only are you a failure at magecraft, despite having proficient mages as parents, you can't even fight like a man. Someone should have paid more attention during self-defense classes," he taunted with a final cackle before leaving the two for school.

Elsa growled lowly under her breath as she watched Hans and his group of friends leave. She then turned back towards Jack, who still struggled to get back up onto his own two feet. Letting him use her as a support, Elsa managed to help him up. "I told you, Jack, we should have just left - "

"What? And let him get away with talking to you like that!?" he suddenly yelled, startling the blond.

She blinked with wide blue eyes as she stared at him in shock. Jack rarely talked back to her, especially in such an aggressive manner. "Jack…"

Upon the realization that he had scared her, the brunette drew back slightly and avoided her curious eyes. "...Let's just go. Sorry," he muttered.

Elsa felt him brushing past her, but she didn't follow him until he was a few paces ahead of her. "Sure," she said quietly, worried if she had maybe done something wrong to anger him in such a way.

Unknown to either of them, the sound of a camera shutter went off in a car parked high up near the busy roadway. A black haired woman smirked as she flipped through the photos that she had taken so far. She then looked out towards the two children again, walking away from the busy roadway.

"Does it bother you that they're just children…?" the middle aged man sitting beside her in the driver's seat asked as she inspected the photos.

Her steel gray eyes inspected the photos she took of all of them - Elsa, Jack, even Hans included. A cruel smile spread across her beautiful face. "...Not at all, rather, it disgusts me that such pure souls are tainted by magecraft. We must free them from their sinful vessels, Weselton...that is the will of our Savior, is it not?"

He shared in her twisted delight and chuckled. "You are right." With a gloved hand, he touched the cross necklace he wore and muttered, "we will free them soon Gothel - s _oon_."

* * *

Elsa trudged back home in the darkness of the night. Her small lips were turned into a frown as she gently tousled her blond bangs. She never realized how long the walk from her home to school was. Normally, she had Jack to keep her company, telling her all sorts of things that happened to him throughout the day. However, tonight was different because tonight - she was alone.

Aside from the usual ambient sounds of the night, Elsa found herself missing the sound of Jack talking. She felt slightly pathetic. It was only since this morning that she and Jack spoke, but she was already missing his presence. He indeed brought excitement into her otherwise strict life of studying and practicing magecraft.

A desolate sigh escaped her as she made her way up the large hill towards her house. She knew that Jack wasn't with her now because she pushed him away. Ever since the encounter with Hans that morning, she avoided him during breaks and when he asked if they wanted to walk back together after school ended, she lied and told him that she had a meeting with one of her professors. She could still picture the confused, yet heartbroken expression he held on his face as he simply said, 'okay' and left.

So now, here she was, walking back late at night just to avoid suspicion from Jack for lying about staying behind at school. It was pathetic.

"I'm home!" Elsa called out as she opened up the front door to her family's modest house. As she slipped her house key back into the front pocket of her bookbag, she heard the sound of footsteps rushing out from the dining room. She blinked in confusion when she saw Jack's parents emerging from the room, along with her parents. While it wasn't out of the norm for Jack's parents to be over for dinner at her house, Elsa knew that something was out of place when she saw how worried they looked.

"Elsa - honey," Idun whispered in relief as she rushed over to her daughter. She captured the young girl in a tight hug and asked, "we're so glad you're okay."

"Mom?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What happened?" She eyed Jack's parents, who began to hold each other for support as if they were in great distress. "Why are - ?"

"Honey," Agdar intervened, coming up to her. "Was Jack at school with you?"

"No…he left when classes were dismissed." Elsa nervously tried to read the atmosphere that surrounded her. "Why? Didn't he call?"

An anguished sob escaped from Jack's mother. She cried, shaking her head, as her husband held her close. "I knew we should have commuted together. Maybe then the Trinity wouldn't have taken him!"

"Don't say that Helena…"

She sniffled. "It was only a matter of time, Erik! Jack's going to die at the hands of the Trinity because he's our son and we're at fault because we didn't take the necessary precautions to protect him !"

Elsa's stomach lurched at the sound of the Trinity. Had Jack really been kidnapped by the Trinity? Would he really be killed even though he wasn't a mage? She started to panic. "I - I'm sorry!" she blurted out towards Jack's parents, who stopped grieving for a minute to focus their attention on her. Elsa clenched her fists tightly and fought back the urge to cry out of guilt. "I know you trusted me to go with Jack to school everyday because I could protect him, but -"

"Elsa…" his mother whispered. "Please, it really isn't your fault. It's ours. We never thought Jack would be targeted since he doesn't even have magic circuits to utilize mana. But...it seems as though we were wrong."

"Are you sure he was taken by the Trinity?" Idun asked softly. "Maybe Jaime was wrong - "

"No, no," Helena responded tearfully, wiping away at her soaked cheeks. "Jaime said that they wore the signs of the Trinity around their necks when they took Jack. He caught a glimpse of it from across the street as they took him into their car. He said he tried to stop them, but they drove away too fast. Oh god - " the brunette woman wept softly. "My poor son...he must be so scared right now."

"We'll find him. We'll find him," Erik reassured his wife, gently kissing her temple. "We'll perform a tracking spell. With any luck, we might be able to get at least some type of direction as to where they could have taken him." His slate gray eyes moved to Agdar and asked, "I'm sorry, but do you think you could watch our little Emma while we're out? She's...really worried about her older brother and maybe being around your girls would help distract her."

Elsa's blue eyes moved towards the entrance of the dining room, where she saw Jack's little sister poke her head out nervously from behind the wall. She seemed timid and scared with the situation that was unraveling right now. The little girl ran to her father's side and clung to the soft fabric of his slacks. "Papa…? Is Jack coming back home soon?"

"Soon darling, I promise. We'll bring him back," Erik said with a gentle smile. He raised his head to look at Agdar, who responded with a nod of his head.

"Of course. You go out with your wife and find your boy. If you need help, Idun and I will do our best to aid you...even though we aren't mages."

"Thank you."

Elsa watched Jack's parents rush out of her house to begin the search for him, she then looked to her parents, who seemed just as worried about Jack as they were. The cold reality dawned on her that Jack was in serious danger and there was a high possibility that she could probably never see him again.

He could die tonight and it was all her fault.

"Come on, honey...why don't you go play with Anna and Emma?" Idun gently suggested with a somber smile.

"...Okay."

No - this wasn't how Elsa was going to let this play out. She turned back to look out the front windows and saw the gentle light from the full moon filtering in through the sheer curtains. A strength began flowing through her as she silently clenched her fists tightly by her side.

"I know you're worried about Jack, but...his parents will find him. I'm sure."

"Yeah…"

Elsa followed her mother silently towards the back of the house, but in her mind she knew that she had to do something. Jack was her best friend and it was her fault that he got kidnapped by the Trinity. No matter what, she had to find him.

It was the only way she would ever forgive herself.

* * *

 _ **Next chapter:** The Knight From Her Dreams_

* * *

 **A/N** Ironically, Jack is currently kidnapped and held against his will in both this fic and Marionette. Hah. -brick'd-

Thank you to those that took an interest in this story!

Yes, so the first chapter was about Queen Elsa, who is actually the ancestor of this modern day Elsa. Her death will be further explained, as well as what happened to the King of Burgess, his army, and Jack Frost. This is still a bonafide Jelsa fic, so please sit tight! :)

I like doing stuff out of the norm and there's way too many stories out there where Elsa's the one bullied and Jack's the one who saves her. I thought in this case, it could be switched and still work, while giving a refreshing change of pace!

Please review! (And no, I wasn't inspired by Harry Potter in the very slightest for this fic, before anyone decides to mention it.)

-ZERO-

 **Review Responses:**

Furiyan - Y - Yes qq I actually deleted my dystopian AU fic because the central theme was going to be similar to this one, as well as the plot, although the time lines and concepts are different. But thank you so much! I'm happy you took an interest to this! ; u ; If you ever want to give it a try, I definitely recommend you check out Fate/Zero! I think it'll suit your tastes since it's for a more mature audience with some of the themes in there!

ElsaTheSnowQueen2 - Thank you!

Guest 1 - Thank you and yes, Queen Elsa did die. Her death will be further explained throughout the story.

Guest 2 - Thank you! Glad you've enjoyed the first chapter!


	3. The Knight From Her Dreams

**A/N** Holy fu -

Only two chapters in and already 20 + follows! I'm so excited that you guys are finding this fic interesting haha. As you can see, updates are random. They'll happen whenever I'm inspired to keep writing this story, like I am right now. Like with the rest of my stories, I do have the entire thing planned out, but gotta just get it into writing haha.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Oath Of Kings And Knights**

 **Chapter 3 - The Knight From Her Dreams**

"Wait 'til my father hears about this!"

Jack uncomfortably sat there on the cold ground as Hans continued to bump into him. Both boys had their wrists and ankles bound together in black iron cuffs, preventing them from escaping. While Hans was furious in a wild panic as he attempted to speak with the two Trinity members that kidnapped him, Jack just wished that he would _shut up_.

It seemed as though the female Trinity member had the same thoughts as Jack, for she snapped at the wiggling auburn haired boy. "Hey kid!" she spat out, approaching him. She gave his thigh a sharp kick, causing him to yelp in pain. "Another peep from you and I'll just kill you right now instead of waiting for the rest of you _filthy_ mage children!"

Jack's eyes widened when he saw a bright red magic circle appear on the ground that Hans sat upon. With a soft, fearful gasp, the young boy scooted away. "Hans, stop - !" he yelled, only for it to be too late.

Hans had already begun reciting the incantation to unleash his fire magic. "From the depths of - _agh_!" Immediately he began writhing in pain as the shackles that kept him chained glowed a dull green.

It was just what Jack predicted - these weren't just ordinary chains they were bound in. "...Anti-mana chains," he murmured under his breath as he watched Hans fall over onto the ground, trembling weakly. He had learned about these in class and knew how destructive they are to mages that dared to use their magecraft while bound with them.

The black haired woman chuckled as she knelt down in front of Jack, baring a toothy grin. "Someone's done their homework," she remarked, roughly rubbing the top of his head. "That's correct! You know that they mess with the connectivity of your magic circuits...of course, your friend here fell a bit short on understanding." She gave a little chortle in amusement from watching Hans cry a little from the pain.

Jack gulped a little as his brown eyes went to the cross necklace the woman bared around her neck. There was no doubt that they were with the Trinity. Although he had argued with them that he wasn't a mage, he couldn't say anything back when he was shown the photo evidence of Elsa and Hans' encounter earlier in the day. With him caught in the midst of the brawl, it looked very much like he was the one that had casted the ice that blocked Hans' attack, instead of Elsa.

"Now then - are either of you ready to talk?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Judging from your clothes, you two go to the same school." She grabbed a hold of Jack's white blazer, tugging at the lapel and running her thumb over the embroidered crest of the Mages' Association. "...Why don't you tell us where this prestigious magecraft school is? Hm?"

The young brunette furrowed his brow slightly in suspicion. "...Why should I? It's not like you're going to let us escape."

The youthful looking middle aged woman quietly studied Jack under a scrutinizing glare. "...You said you aren't a mage, boy?"

Jack remained silent, unsure of what to respond with.

"Very well then. I'll offer you a little bargain. Tell me where your school is and I'll let you go."

In her peripheral vision, Jack could see that Hans stirred. With a slight turn of his head, he looked over at the young fire mage, who seemed to be wary of what was happening. With a slight parting of his lips, Jack asked the woman in a clear, but soft voice, "...just me?"

" _Just_ you," she responded back with a sweet smile. "There's no need for you to help out this dirty mage if you're human, right?"

Hans' green eyes went wide in terror because he knew fully well that Jack could very much take the deal and leave him. He had no reason to save the person that bullied and tormented his everyday life -

"...I won't tell unless you let _both_ of us go."

Those same green eyes widened once more, only this time, it was out of shock from what he heard. Was Jack actually trying to save him too?

A sharp laugh escaped the woman's throat after she heard Jack's response. "You foolish boy - you just lost your only chance at freedom." She threw him back down, eliciting a grunt from him. "If you don't want to comply with my bargain, then perish alongside this filthy mage. While the Trinity opposes the murder of humans, we have no problem killing humans that choose to support magecraft."

Jack glared back hard at her as she sauntered back towards her accomplice, who was a middle-aged man of short stature and a large hooked nose. He seemed to be speaking to someone on the phone, but it was a little hard to make out with how dark it was in the basement-like holding area they were in.

"...You can't find the blond girl? I see - very well - bring what you have over here and we'll exterminate the ones we've rounded up tonight. Any number of mages captured is a victory on our part." He hung up, meeting the eyes of his partner. A broad grin decorated his small face and he remarked joyfully, "Hofferson is bringing over the rest. It seems as though he has a good batch."

Gothel chuckled. "Of course. He does a good job of rounding up proficient adult mages as well. Mage children should be a walk in the park for him to deal with."

"Hm," Weselton curtly remarked, "...soon...Burgess will be completely rid of mages. Just the mere thought of a world without magecraft is enticing." He laughed slightly, his gray moustache seemingly fluffing up at the action.

Tossing her curly black hair over her shoulder, Gothel grinned maliciously and held a hand over her cross pendant. For a moment, she paused before muttering, "...Our Savior will be proud of the work we're doing for humankind."

* * *

Elsa could hear the joyful chatter of her family as they played a card game with Jack's little sister, Emma, in the dining room. She was in there earlier, but she had excused herself to go use the bathroom - although, she had entirely different intentions for leaving.

Drawing out a soft sigh, she brought one of her catalysts to her lips and kissed it for good luck. "Sorry mom….dad," she whispered, pursing her small lips tightly as she held the gem out in front of her in a gentle fist. She had every intention to go out looking for Jack, even though her parents implied that she should stay home. It was her fault that he was missing and for abandoning him.

She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before reciting the incantation for an astral duplication spell. With elemental magic being her strong point, Elsa knew that a catalyst was needed for her to create an astral copy of herself to stand in her place, especially when she didn't know how long the duplicate of herself would need to be here with her family.

As she finished the archaic, Germanic incantation, Elsa could feel the catalyst melting in her hand and dripping onto the floor. She saw the teal blue liquid reacting by glowing a bright white and then disappearing before her eyes. Closing her eyes, feeling the mana course through her body, she suddenly felt completely light as air and then the feeling retreated as soon as it came. Upon reopening her sapphire blue orbs, she saw an exact mirror image of herself standing before her in the small bathroom.

It blinked as it stared at her with a rather mindless stare, blissfully unaware of the things happening around it. Elsa stood back, admiring her work, and approached the astral duplicate of herself. "Alright," she whispered, giving it clear instructions. "Stay with my family, got it?"

It nodded, smiling broadly.

Letting out a short breath, Elsa led it out of the bathroom quietly and pointed towards the direction of the dining room, telling it to go back and rejoin her family. It walked a bit clumsily, causing Elsa to sigh a little in exasperation. It was to be expected, even with the use of a catalyst, illusions spells weren't really her strong point, but it'll have to do for now.

Quickly, she made her way down the opposite direction of the upstairs hallway and towards one of the windows facing out towards her backyard. She pried open the heavy window and pushed it up with some degree of difficulty. Immediately, she felt the cool night air on her skin, bringing some relief to her adrenaline filled veins.

Elsa peered down at the drop from the second story of her house. Just beyond the gates of her backyard was a steep hill that led down to the forest-like area that was smack dab in the middle of their suburbia. Beyond that and few miles away was the main downtown area of their city. She set her blue eyes in a determined glare at the glittering skyline of Downtown and clenched her fists tightly.

She focused her mana onto her legs and brought both of her feet onto the windowsill. Very carefully, she let go of her hold on the edges of the window and in a great leap, she used her mana to power herself through the air.

Her lithe body flew for a brief period of time, flying over her backyard and clearing it before coming to a fall into the steep hillside. Just before her feet could touch the ground, she focused more mana onto her legs. The teal - blue magical runes were prominent even from underneath the black knee-length socks she wore. The white skirt of her school uniform fluttered briefly as she cushioned her landing with a burst of mana and with another powerful burst, she lunged forward. With great speed and control, Elsa practically flew down the hillside with ease and powered through the forest, weaving in and around bushes and trees.

With a sharp exhale, Elsa finally came to a full stop when she exited the forest. The soles of her uniform shoes made contact with the ground as the mana runes on her legs faded away. She remembered what Jack's parents had said prior to them leaving her house. Upon performing the tracking spell, his father had told her parents that it seemed as though Jack was somewhere in the downtown area.

 _"I can't get a good reading, but I'm sure the Trinity has him somewhere that's impervious to magecraft. In any case, Helena and I will be in that area. Should a problem arise…"_

 _"We will lend you whatever help we can, Erik. Just give us a call if you require assistance."_

 _"Thank you."_

Elsa eavesdropped on the entire conversation, but what she heard hardly provided any clues as to where to continue her search. She was sure that Jack's parents were searching blindly around Downtown as well, but even with her aiding in their search, it felt futile. The area was densely packed with buildings, not to mention, it was a dangerous place for a twelve year old girl like her to be walking around at this time of night.

Just as she took a step to make it out onto the main road, she stopped midway when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

"...Huh. Would you look at that?"

Surprised, Elsa whipped around and saw a large, heavyset man standing just a few feet away from her. She backed away slightly, just from the sight of his imposing physique. "Who - ?"

"I couldn't help, but see you flyin' down that hillside. I was just about to give up for the night since I've rounded up around 20 other mage children, but looks like I could make it _21_ …" He stepped out from the inky black shadows and Elsa felt her heart hammering away inside of her chest when she saw that he bore a cross pendant - the symbol of the Trinity.

She silently cursed at herself for being so careless while she escaped from her house. Why didn't she utilize a shrouding spell around her to conceal herself? She practically advertised to the entire world that she was a mage at that moment. _'How stupid -'_

"So, what about it little lady?" he asked, stroking his sandy blond beard once over with his thick hand before. He wore a kind, deceiving smile on his face. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way."

Although Elsa was more than willing to fight and had the confidence that she could take him down with her magecraft, she had an idea that could work with careful planning…

"...Why haven't you killed them yet? The children that you captured?" she asked him, warily eying the gun-like weapon he drew from his holster. "I know the Trinity shows no mercy towards any mage, young or old - female or male."

He chuckled. "You think I should kill you then?" When Elsa didn't respond and only gave him a narrowed glare, he chuckled again. "You aren't scared of the Trinity?"

"I am," Elsa answered slowly. "...But I'm not scared of you if that's what you mean."

He laughed boisterously, holding his rotund stomach. "...You should be," he drawled with a toothy grin before firing off his weapon. From the rather large barrel of the gun, a dark black band flew out towards her.

With her fast reflexes, Elsa swung out her arm and instantly created a thick wall of ice to protect her from it. She saw the band hit the wall of ice and fall to the floor with a soft clunk, but what she didn't see was the burly blond man rush up to her and practically shatter the wall with his shoulder. Elsa stumbled back with a surprised cry and quickly infused some mana into her legs and in a short burst, she flew back away from him, creating some distance between them.

Immediately, she swung her arm out towards the side in a wide arc and shouted, "Ice Shot!" Several icicles manifested themselves in front of her and shot out towards their intended target. However, Elsa saw that the sharp ice fragments did nothing to the man as he advanced towards her. Before she could attack any further, she briefly saw him firing off his gun again, another black band soaring towards her. With very little time to react to it, Elsa felt it latch onto her wrist and without a second's delay, a sharp, electrifying energy jarred her senses.

She screamed in pain as she fell to her knees, The strange electrical energy surged through her body, causing excruciating pain before she was slowly rendered unconscious. Right before she blacked out completely, she saw the burly man towering over her with a hearty grin before leaning over to pick up her limp body like a sack of potatoes.

"You should have every reason to fear the Trinity, little lady," he told her ominously as Elsa slipped into a state of helpless unconsciousness.

* * *

Upon reopening her eyes, all Elsa could see was darkness before her eyes adjusted to what little light that was provided by a nearby lamp. She squinted, trying to get a better look at her surroundings. The ground she was laid down upon was cold and felt slightly damp. The air smelled musty, causing the young girl to grimace as she began hearing voices conversing with one another.

"...It's about time these poor souls are released from their sinful, earthly vessels."

"Magecraft is the work of the devil...it must be eradicated at the source with the youngest of mages."

Elsa's blue eyes shot wide open at the smell of burning wood. With a gasp, she sat herself up and saw three Trinity members, including the man that had captured her, starting to set fire to the various pieces of decrepit furniture in the basement. In a panic, she looked around and saw dozens of other children, all lying down lifelessly on the ground. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering why they were unmoving and not trying to fight back.

As the light from the growing fires illuminated the dark basement, she spotted a tuft of brown hair belonging to an all-too-familiar face.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, trying her best to scoot over towards him while shackled in chains. As she inched closer, she realized that he too was unresponsive like the other children. It looked as though he was sleeping, but Elsa knew that something had been done to all of them.

" _Oh_ \- I guess I didn't hit this one with enough chloroform."

A soft, frightened gasp escaped Elsa as she raised her head. She came face-to-face with a woman who sneered rather terrifyingly at her. Her curly black hair seemed to billow out from behind her as she leaned forward to grab a hold of Elsa's delicate face. At her touch, Elsa shivered slightly, but refused to show any other signs of fear.

"Hmm," the woman hummed, looking directly into the young girl's eyes. "I heard that you were wandering around by yourself when you were captured. Were you trying to find your two friends?" she asked, shooting a glance over Elsa's shoulder.

Curious at the woman's usage of the word _'two,'_ Elsa got a chance to look over her shoulder and saw that Hans was there as well. _'...So he must have been captured along with Jack after classes ended at the Association…'_ she thought to herself, before turning her head back around to face the woman. She glared at her, matching her gaze with a defiant look.

Amused with the look she was giving her, Gothel chuckled and commented, "how interesting. You have a tenacity that I have yet to see in the children we've captured so far."

Elsa grit her teeth and a slow cold mist began surrounding her. Gothel took immediate notice of this and laughed in amusement.

"What are you doing? Trying to escape - ?"

A sudden pain shot through Elsa's body. It felt as though her own mana was backfiring and attacking her. Trembling softly, she whimpered as she tried to stifle down a scream. She refused to show that she was in nerve-wracking pain in front of these people.

"It's not going to work," Gothel remarked in a taunting voice.

Refusing to give up, Elsa attempted to freeze her shackles again, only to feel an even worse pain than before. This time, she cried out sharply. Her blue eyes watered with tears and a sweat began forming on her brow. The pain was simply unbearable at this point.

"Are you trying to become a hero?" the black haired woman asked with a haughty sneer. "It's not going to work - "

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!" Elsa suddenly yelled with such a fierceness that it made even Gothel draw back in shock. She bared her teeth and her eyes were narrowed in a glare that could shoot daggers if they wanted to. "Mages aren't all evil! None of us deserve to be slaughtered like this when we've done nothing wrong!"

At the larger presence of the icy mist spreading out from Elsa, Gothel stood up and took a couple of steps back. "W - Weselton! Hofferson! Get over here!" she cried out. When the two men came to her aid, she pointed at the blond girl with a shaking finger and asked, "did you put anti-mana shackles on her!?"

"Of course I did!" Hofferson exclaimed incredulously as he watched the shackles become encrusted in ice. He set his eyes into a mean glare as he stomped over to Elsa. "You little brat, you'd better behave - !"

"You're all bloodthirsty, heartless monsters!" Elsa screamed, ice started to overcome the black iron shackles around her ankles and wrists. Her wild emotions seemed to amplify her ice magic. Her mana fluctuated wildly around her, stirring up what looked like a violent whirlwind around her small body. It struck a fear into the Trinity members that stood by witnessing this.

" _Impossible_ …" Weselton whispered. "The Trinity has used these shackles to imprison mages far more powerful than her. There's no way a child like her could possibly break free. Come - " he motioned towards Gothel and Hofferson. "We shouldn't waste anymore time here."

"But - "

Elsa suddenly drew in a sharp gasp and screamed as the shackles fired back her own mana throughout her body. The reversal in the flow of mana through her magic circuits caused an intense pain that caused her to fall onto the ground weakly. The ice that she had produced was slowly receding from the iron of the shackles and at this, Weselton chuckled.

"What did I tell you? These shackles never fail." He gave Elsa one final smirk upon seeing that she was shooting him a weak glare. "Magecraft is the source of all evil. I hope you realize this before you perish in this fire, young lady. What we're doing is the work of Our Savior and protecting humans from your sorcery."

 _'Stop…'_

"Stop…" Elsa weakly croaked out as she saw them slowly filing out from the basement. Tears stung her eyes as she could feel the heat from the fires growing. "We don't deserve this…" she cried softly, curling up her fatigued body. "We just want to live in peace just like everyone else…"

With so much pain coursing through her body, Elsa failed to realize that the back of her right hand had begun to sting and prickle with heat. She shook her head as she laid on her sides, crying softly as a red mark began taking form on her pale skin.

 _'That was my wish if I had won the Lunar Night War...for us mages to live in peace with the humans. No more senseless killing...no more innocent lives lost…'_

Elsa parted her pink lips and whispered softly, "...I wanted...to win..."

Before she could slip into unconsciousness, Elsa witnessed a blinding white-blue light before her eyes. She promptly closed her eyes tightly, finding the light almost painful to look into directly. It appeared for a brief second before it dimmed. Elsa, however, didn't open her eyes until she felt a comforting icy chill envelop her. Very slowly, her eyes reopened and Elsa breathlessly laid there as she saw a white haze covering the entire surrounding area. She could no longer feel the heat from the fires and she wondered if she had unknowingly unleashed her ice magic to save her and the rest of the children in time.

However, when the haze cleared up slightly, she saw a pair of feet standing on the ground a few inches away from her. She fought to keep her eyes open, although she felt completely drained of her mana. Elsa turned her head up slightly, just to get a look at who it was.

The entirety of his legs and boots were covered in white-silver plate armor. A long, flowing blue tunic, that was cut into three equal sections, went past his knees and fluttered just slightly as an icy wind stirred around him. As he turned around, Elsa rolled back to get a glimpse of his face.

 _'I've seen him before…'_

He looked like a young man in his early 20s, with short, wild white-silver hair complimenting the pale complexion of his gentle, but masculine face. In one hand he held a sword, plated in silver and embellished with gold, as he knelt down before her.

 _'...that's right. I did see him…the knight from my dream.'_

He smiled handsomely at her, the corners of his lips turning up softly. There was a look of adoration on his face as he looked down at her - just like how a man would look at his lover.

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but only a weak whimper could escape her throat as her body was just simply too paralyzed with fatigue to function properly. She wished to speak with him, wondering where he could have possibly come from and who he was, but before she could hear him speak, they were interrupted by a loud, commanding voice.

"Who are you!?"

The haze settled down considerably for Elsa to see that it was the man they called Hofferson. He held the same gun-like weapon at the knight that had saved her and fired off a black ring. Elsa drew in a breath, trying to warn the knight of the impending danger, but in a display of quick reflexes, the knight turned on his heel and swung his broadsword out, deflecting the ring. The pitiful little device fell to the side, no longer functional as it sparked and burst into dozens of little pieces.

She stared at the back of his head, trying to get a grip on her consciousness, only to have it rapidly slip away. Elsa's eyelids fluttered as she saw the blurry image of the mysterious knight standing back up onto his feet and hold the sword tightly in both of his armored hands. Just as her eyes closed, he lunged towards the Trinity member, firmly intent on attacking him with everything he had.

Elsa felt all the strength leave her body at that crucial moment - and she would come to hate herself for it for the next nine years.

 _'...The knight from my dream…"_

* * *

 **Next chapter:** _Summoning Of The Guardian Spirits_

* * *

 **A/N** Did Elsa finally meet Jack Frost? :)

This chapter was supposed to be combined with the previous chapter, since I didn't want to spend too much time on Jack and Elsa's childhood, but I thought splitting it into two chapters would be better. Next chapter will finally kinda kick off the 'start' of this story!

In other news, I promise I'm not neglecting Marionette for this fic. I'll be updating that probably sometime this week.

I don't know how many people actually read my A/Ns, but I do want to state that if you are a fan of the Fate series, some systems and such will be different in this fic. The only reason it's like that is because honestly, a lot of the Holy Grail War/Master-Servant relationships/command spells/magecraft rules and conditions in Fate are extremely difficult to grasp in my opinion unless you're completely devoted to the series. I love the concept, despite how complicated it is, which is why I'm writing this fic as a Fate AU, but under my assumptions, many of the readers for this fic don't know anything about Fate and again, it's VERY info dense. That's why I've simplified some things and attempted to make it more straightforward so that Fate fans AND non-fans can still enjoy this FF. :)

I also know that Fate/Zero and Fate/SN contain a lot of M-rated material, but again, I'm going to try and keep this fic to a T-rating. Thus, things pertaining to the Lunar Night War and such will be toned down in some aspects, compared to the Holy Grail War in Fate.

-ZERO-

* * *

 **Review responses**

 **soinherownhead** \- Yay chocolate! Haha, thank you so much and always glad to find other Fate/Zero fans!

 **lycheelover14** \- Yes, I have stated several times in the first chapter's A/N that I was inspired by the Fate series for this fic aha;;; My penname however, is for my love of Zero Kiryu from Vampire Knight. Not from Fate/Zero. Thank you for your review though! The Lunar Night Wars will be similar to the Holy Grail War that is in Fate/Zero, Fate/SN!

 **Furiyan** \- I know, poor Jack ; A ; Don't worry, he'll get his chance to shine soon enough C:

 **Guest 1** \- Glad you do!

 **Guest 2** \- Thank you! I try my best!

 **The Crystal Raven** \- Aw thank you ; w ; It's nothing to be jealous of though. I think my writing could always use improvement, but I do my best with it! And as for your prediction, while I don't want to give it away, it will be something of that nature. :) It'll be more clear once the Guardian Spirits are summoned and the Lunar Night War starts.

 **Evil Aksara** \- Same haha, hence the creation of this fic. Thank you for your review! I started out with Fate/SN, but then decided to check out Fate/Zero and I fell in love with that rather than Fate/SN. Fate/SN felt a bit like an unnecessary harem at times and I prefer stories that are dark and focus on the characters/plot, which is what Fate/Zero does ^^ (I also prefer Saber in Fate/Zero. She acts more like a king/knight lol). I still have yet to check out Heaven's Feel though. Gotta get to it haha.


	4. Summoning Of The Servants

**A/N**

Action's going to start picking up after this chapter! :)

Enjoy.

 **Oath Of Kings And Knights**

 **Chapter 4 - Summoning Of The Servants**

* * *

"Are you at all surprised by this predicament, Your Highness?"

He looked up to meet eyes with his trusted advisor, who had cunningly betrayed him. He had a malicious grin upon his angular face, but for some reason, it hardly unnerved the noble king. Instead, the young man smiled after his last bloody cough. "...Not at all, Pitchiner," he breathed out with a satisfied smile as blood ran down the side of his face. "I always suspected this from you eventually...but to think that you were a mage yourself…" He held a hand over his side, cut deep with a fatal wound that bled out profusely, staining his dark blue tunic with his blood.

Lord Pitch sneered down at the king that he betrayed. An almost maniacal chuckle escaped him as the brunette kneeled over on the ground, doubled over in pain as he began to lose consciousness.

"You were always a foolish one, Your Highness. Always too quick to trust…" He looked over past his king's head at the throne belonging to the Queen of Arendelle, with the queen herself sitting upon the ground just a few feet away. Beneath her was a brilliant magic circle, encrusted in ice and glowing a magnificent teal color. Her sapphire blue eyes were widened in a panic as she stared at the two men. "...always too quick to _love._ " His gold-hazel eyes fell back on the king of Burgess.

Violent tremors now riddling his body, the king looked up at his advisor.

" - That is what ultimately leads to your downfall." An inky black sand-like element erupted from the palm of his hand and took on the form of a huge scythe. He smiled briefly down at the King of Burgess and his gold colored eyes shone dangerously as he muttered, "your pure, noble heart was never suited for this world. You would have _never_ survived, Your Majesty. Don't take it too personally...I'm doing you a favor in the end."

"No…!" the young queen screamed as she threw out her arm, attempting to stop Pitch with her magic, but she was too late.

The last sound the King of Burgess heard was the sound of Pitch's scythe slicing through the air before all he saw was darkness.

* * *

A violent rattle jolted him awake. He took in a sharp, gasping breath as he shot open his brown eyes.

"Jack…?"

He raised his head and saw Elsa sitting across from him in the small train compartment. Her brow was creased in worry as she stared at him.

"You okay?" she asked him, getting up off of her seat and leaning forward towards him. She placed a gentle hand over his sweaty forehead, as if she was checking him for a fever. "You don't look like you're sick - "

"I'm fine," he assured her, mustering up his signature dorky grin. "Just...had a bad dream, that's all."

"A dream…?" Elsa took a seat beside him, intrigued. "You mean...the one with the king of Burgess and his advisor?"

"Oh," he chuckled uneasily. "You remember it. Didn't expect you to."

"Of course I do," Elsa said pointedly. "It's a pretty unusual dream after all, just because of how vividly you experience everything. Plus...you told me about it at least a dozen times already."

Jack let out a soft sigh, playing with one of the coffee brown buttons on his beige trenchcoat. He remained silent, prompting Elsa to speak to him gently.

"...You started getting those nightmares after that night, huh?"

He paused, thinking for a moment, before answering her with a soft, "yeah." Averting his eyes over to the window to look out at the green rolling hills of the English countryside. As the scenery passed by them rapidly, the brunette young man muttered under his breath, "I wish I knew what happened."

Elsa wrinkled her brow slightly, staring at him as he dropped his eyes down to her right hand, staring at the bright red command seal etched into her skin. She noticed this and gently brought her hand up to her chest, tenderly caressing the mark with the tips of her fingers. "I wish I knew too...instead of just passing out."

"Well, in your case it couldn't be helped - you nearly overloaded the cuffs they bound you in. Very few mages can do that," he said, trying to comfort her.

She let out a dry, humorless laugh. "I guess. I just wish I knew who the man that saved me was." Elsa brought her hand out in front of her, inspecting the command seal she bore. It was red and in the pattern of three-point snowflake, with a narrow, triangular sword-like figure extending from her wrist to the middle of the pattern as if it was stabbing it.

Jack noticed her eyes dimming and he leaned over slightly, worried over his friend's well-being. "It doesn't hurt, right?"

"What? No, of course not," she reassured him quickly. "I'm just thinking...that perhaps that the man that saved me and everyone else was a Guardian Spirit."

"Guardian Spirit?"

Elsa nodded slowly. "All the mages that participate in the Lunar War are granted one familiar - the spirit of a noble Guardian, whose honor and selflessness was recognized by the Moon throughout their lifetime."

The brunette young man blinked his chocolate brown eyes in curiosity. "So...these Guardian Spirits were once real people?"

She nodded again. "A second chance at life, I guess - as a reward of some sort for doing good in their previous life."

"Huh," Jack grunted, leaning back against the cushy seat comfortably. "So you think that man was a spirit you summoned?"

"Maybe." The platinum blond bowed her head, her softly waved locks gently curtaining her face. "Guardian Spirits are supposed to be summoned just a few days before the war, not several years before. Not to mention, I haven't seen him again after I passed out. After all these years…I wonder where he went."

Before either of them could speak again, the train gently rolled to a complete stop. Jack looked out the window to see that they had arrived at Burgess' expansive train station. A little boyish grin tugged at his face, which Elsa took notice of.

When she gave him an inquiring look, he sheepishly laughed and stood up, grabbing their belongings from the top racks. "Sorry, it's just - I've never been in another country before. It's like an adventure," he commented, throwing one of the heavy duffel bags over his broad shoulder with ease.

Elsa stifled down a fond giggle. "Dork," she commented, helping him with one of the lighter bags. She led the way out of the sparsely crowded train and they walked side-by-side out onto the platform, heading out of the station together to grab a taxi. As they did, Elsa glanced at the young man by her side.

She never really noticed it back in New Burgess since most of her attention had been devoted to the upcoming war and taking care of her family, but seeing as how Jack was the one she had to rely on for the duration of the war, she began to notice how he had grown from a scraggly, wire-thin framed boy to a tall, broad-shouldered young man. He still acted like the childish boy she had grown accustomed to, but he did have a sense of responsibility and duty towards other matters. Elsa thought this was because of the incident with The Trinity.

After the night of his kidnapping, Jack devoted his studies strictly to non-magecraft subjects and spent most of his free time learning the art of physical combat in order to better defend himself. It seemed as though his parents unwillingly let him pursue this way of life, still holding onto that thinning thread of hope that he would soon realize his magical potential. However, Elsa knew that it was a foolish hope and had no idea why Erik and Helena Overland, two very prominent mages in the world of magecraft, would fail to see the fact that Jack simply had no magical potential whatsoever. No matter what happens, it wasn't like his magical circuits would suddenly be filled with mana.

"I'll go hail a cab," Jack said when they made it out of the station.

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked, eyeing the large duffel bag he had over his shoulder as well as a traveling suitcase he rolled across the ground.

"There's a lot of people here. I'm tall so the cab would probably see me better than you."

She sourly glared at him as he walked away, oblivious to her irritation. Elsa pursed her lips and remained where she was, pulling the thick scarf she wore over her nose and mouth.

Burgess was bitterly cold this time of year, not that it bothered her. She looked up at the gloomy skies and sighed worriedly. What she was concerned about was the possibility that it might rain while they were here searching for the magical relic that she needed to summon the Guardian Spirit of her choice.

Elsa spotted from the corner of her eye, Jack excitedly running up to her again.

"Got us a cab!" he exclaimed with a toothy grin.

* * *

After leaving the train station, the two decided to check into a hotel for the night rather than push forward to their destination. Travelling in a foreign place at night was not something that Elsa was fond of doing, especially when she took it upon herself to be vigilant of any Trinity spies.

"One room?" Jack asked her, confused as he watched her slide the key card into the door lock of the hotel room.

"We don't exactly have the luxury of having a large pool of money to dip into, Jack," the blond stated in a matter-of-factly tone. She opened up the door and let out a little, relieved sigh as she was embraced by the cozy warmth of the homely room.

The tall young man followed her in, acting skittish as he placed the bags down by the door. "A - Are you sure?" he asked with a stutter.

Elsa shot him an odd glance. "You're not nervous about sharing a room with me, are you?" When all he did was turn his head away, a prominent blush creeping up onto his peach-pale cheeks, she rolled her eyes and plopped herself down on one of the beds. "Come on, Jack. We've had dozens of sleepovers in the past. Just think of it as one of those - minus the scary movies and my mom's caramel popcorn balls."

"...But that was when we were kids," he mumbled shyly.

"So?" she shrugged a little, falling back onto the bed and sighing tiredly once more. "At least we have separate beds, isn't that enough?"

"I - I guess…"

Elsa slanted her blue eyes at him as he dragged his feet over to the other bed in the room. She stared at him for a while, watching him nervously fiddle with the buttons of his brown trenchcoat. When he caught her staring, his blush grew hotter and he quickly stopped undressing. "Can't you look away!?" he exclaimed, trying to shrink deeper into corner he faced.

Elsa made a little face. "We're best friends, Jack. Plus, I've seen you in your underwear anyways."

"Again, that's when we were kids!" he shot out, pursing his lips tightly together to calm the embarrassment he felt.

"Fine. I'll just take a shower first then."

Jack waited until he heard the door to the bathroom closing and the sound of running water. He peeked over his shoulder again, sighing at the sight of the empty room. He walked back, seating himself on the edge of the bed, his brown eyes reflecting a distant sullenness. Clutching at his chest, Jack set his jaw at the feeling of his heart, swiftly beating away inside of him.

"You heard her. You're just a friend…" he muttered, "so stop feeling this way...you idiot."

* * *

A morning light shone brightly through the wooden shutters in the cozy hotel room. Luckily for her, it was a clear day with not a cloud in sight, meaning that Elsa was good to go on her search for the magic relic. It was vital for her to find the one she was trying to look for.

"Why?" Jack asked her as he languidly cleaned out his two automatic pistols as he sat at the foot of his bed. "I thought familiars could be summoned anywhere, at any time."

"These aren't normal familiars, Jack," Elsa explained to him calmly. Her lithe finger traced over the information she gathered of the upcoming war, all in a compact, leather-bound notebook. "They're called 'Servants,' to better distinguish them from the regular familiars mages can summon. While regular familiars take on the appearance of beasts, a summoned Servant is a person."

He stopped, growing wide-eyed at the notion. "You can make a person just, appear?" he questioned incredulously, eliciting a sigh from the blond.

"No. You know that the only remotely human-like things mages can summon are vampires. Servants are still familiars, bound to the mage that they serve. They're also referred to as Guardian Spirits and they used to be real people. While their physical bodies are gone, the Moon preserved the spirits of those it deemed as "honorable." Thus, they're able to be summoned during the Lunar Night Wars." Elsa shot a glare over at Jack, who had a glazed look in his eyes. "Did you even understand any of that?" she asked derisively.

The brunette rolled his eyes as he finished cleaning one of his pistols. "Hey, you're the actual participant, not me. I'm just here to watch your back."

"Well, it's good for you to know this stuff too," she stated. "You're going to help me get the relic I'm looking for anyways. It's vital that I summon an obedient servant, but at the same time, powerful."

Jack briefly peered up at the page Elsa held up for him to see. "What?" he questioned, glancing through the lines of neatly handwritten text. "You want to summon Jack Frost, Queen Elsa of Arendelle's knight?

Her small painted lips widened into a broad smile. "He's perfect. He was trusted, loyal, and a powerful mage. I couldn't find anymore information on him since a lot of Arendelle's records were destroyed by the Trinity, but a personal item of his still managed to survive - his staff."

"Annnnd, where exactly are you going to look for that? Arendelle kinda doesn't exist anymore and it's been several hundred years since then."

Elsa smiled broadly as she cut him off, "you think I'd drag you halfway across the globe without a proper lead?" She giggled at Jack's unresponsiveness and leaned over to tousle his messy brown hair. "Before we left home, I went to the academy to speak with the headmaster. He knew of me wanting to join the war…"

Jack's eyes fell to the red command seal that Elsa bore on her right hand - physical proof that the Moon had recognized her to be one of the seven Lunar Night War participants.

"He referred me to a friend of his that resides here in Burgess, in the countryside. He's a mage as well and apparently, he had come across Jack Frost's staff back when he was younger." Elsa seemed more excited the more she spoke of the war.

Personally, Jack had no idea why. Wasn't she worried that she could get killed? He assumed his deep concern was apparent on his face as he noticed Elsa had stopped talking.

"Jack," she whispered, gently taking his hand in hers.

He flinched at her touch, drawing his attention towards her.

"I know you're worried about me." Elsa giggled softly as the young man blushed a bright pink. "It's been a concern for you ever since I told you about this back when we were students, but it'll be fine. I'll be fine. I'm more than confident in my abilities as a mage. Plus…" Her eyes lowered contemplatively, then flickered back up to his face. "I have you here to watch my back if anything happens."

Jack chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah - the guy that got his ass handed to him by Hans Westergard for all those years. I'm sure I'll be of a great help."

"Hey." She smirked as she raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You've become a pretty formidable opponent over the years after you quit attending the magic academy. The you then and the you now are completely different people," she said in reassurance.

The small pep talk seemed to work as it caused a modest smile to illuminate Jack's face.

"And I'm pretty sure that you could beat Hans hands down if we ever run into that prick again," Elsa said as she laughed into her hand.

The brunette stifled down a chuckle at the thought. "Yeah, that'll be the day."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need a relic, Soph?" He looked on worriedly towards his little sister as she filled in a bold line on the large circular array. She gently set down the white chalk piece and wiped her hand over her forehead, smearing the white substance over her freckled pale skin.

With a giddy smile, she answered her older brother, "I guess that's the fun in not knowing, right Jaime?" Sophie went back to drawing up her summoning circle and Jaime let his eyes rest on the red command seal stamped on her right hand.

He then looked down at his own command seal, reminiscent of two crossed swords over a four pointed star. His eyes went to the bright red fabric in his hand, tattered and worn. "You can take my relic if you want," he offered up. "It's a piece from the great Russian conqueror, Nicholas St. North's, cape."

Sophie Bennett took the red fabric piece from her older brother's hand and examined it curiously. No sooner did she hand it back to him with a broad grin spreading across her face. "I don't need it!" she declared, going back to constructing the summoning circle.

"But - !" Jaime nervously bit his bottom lip. "I don't want you to end up with a weak servant! This is a war, Soph," he gently reminded her, kneeling down beside the young girl. "If you're not careful...you could die."

Her green eyes fell slightly, the chalk in her hand coming to a halt upon the ice cold ground. "I know, Jaime," she muttered, rolling the chalk in between her index finger and thumb, coating them in the dry, white dust. "To be honest, we could both die if we're not careful, but that's a sacrifice that we're willing to make, right? Remember? We made a promise to Mother and Father on the day of their funeral that we would find a way to bring them back." She offered up a small smile, looking up at her brother's worry-ridden face. "It'll be fine," she gently reassured him with a light pat of her dirtied hand on his cheek. "I know we'll win - even if we're up against the mage prodigy, Elsa Strom."

He nodded, sharing in Sophie's brimming confidence. "Yeah...we will. Her and the other Masters got nothin' on us!"

The blond haired girl giggled into her hand. In a triumphant declaration, she cheered alongside her brother. "Yeah! We got this!"

* * *

The Burgess countryside looked absolutely charming - at least to Jack. He walked down the uncharted dirt road towards the residence of the mage he and Elsa were seeking, taking in all the sights in awe and wonder. Being a lifelong resident of the urban sprawl that was New Burgess, any change in setting was something Jack gratefully welcomed.

"To think this type of place existed outside of those fairy tales," he breathed out, staring at all the rolling green pastures that surrounded them. It all felt welcoming to him, even the warmth from the sun felt like it negated the crisp autumn air.

Elsa seemed less interested in their surroundings than Jack was as she kept her eyes forward on the road ahead of them. "I see the cottage," she stated, picking up her pace. When she finally broke into a run at the last stretch of road, Jack desperately called out after her.

"Hey, wait up!" as he carried some of the heavy luggage bags in his hands.

With the two of them out of breath by the time they reached the front door of the homely cottage, Jack watched in confusion at the hesitation Elsa showed. She kept a loose fist raised up to the door, unsure about knocking on it. "What's wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he stood behind her. "This is the right house, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is, but…" She dropped her head slightly. Elsa finally let out a humorless laugh. "Sorry, it must be strange, but I'm feeling so overwhelmed all of a sudden. I guess what you kept worrying about is finally hitting me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she breathed out, gently running her hand over her braid. "I guess you're right...I could actually die if I'm not careful." Elsa held up her right hand, inspecting the red command seal stamped upon her pale skin. She eventually scoffed at herself and said out loud, "I'm being pathetic aren't I? I'm too far in to back out now and here I am hesitating on the final step into the war."

Jack furrowed his brow as he stared at the back of her head for the longest time. He finally reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder and he flashed her a bright smile when she turned her head to look back at him. "You've been preparing so much for this," he told her, earning him a skeptical look from her.

"I thought you said you didn't want me to participate," she said.

"Yeah," he shrugged slightly, "but this is what you truly wanted, isn't it? To win."

Elsa chuckled. "You're saying that with such confidence, Jack."

He smirked at her. "I wouldn't be saying it with such confidence if you weren't such a proficient mage. You got this," he finally told her, instilling a new wave of confidence for the young woman.

The platinum blond pursed her lips together in a wide smile, nodding her head in the process. "You're right. I can't back out now." Pulling her shoulders back and regaining the strength in her neck, Elsa turned her attention back to the door and rapped her knuckles against it a few times. A swell of anxious anticipation made her heart nearly burst out of her chest when the door flew open.

An elderly man answered the door, staring at the two from behind small, round spectacles. "Yes?" he asked, darting his eyes from Elsa to Jack, then back to Elsa. He adjusted his glasses once, squinting at her before widening his eyes in realization. "Oh wait, you must be Elsa Strom! I've been expecting you. The Headmaster told me that you were coming sometime this week. Come in, come in! Have a cup of tea before you leave!" he cheerfully exclaimed, ushering the two inside his cozy abode.

"Are you Ombric?" she asked as she stepped through the doorway. Once inside, Elsa took notice of all the magical oddities that decorated one side of the small living area and several bookshelves filled with tattered, leather-bound books lined the room. She and Jack set down their belongings at the entrance as the old man darted into the recesses of his small home, only to come back out shortly after with the magical relic in hand.

"Yes," he answered her, his light gray eyes twinkling in wonder as he handed the relic to her. "I've been told that you were coming by to pick up - _this_?" The wooden staff that had once belonged to Sir Jack Frost, felt as if it was still embedded with mana as Elsa gently took it in her small hands. She stared down in awe at the finely crafted shepherd's staff. "How did you come across such a thing like this, Mister - ?"

"Just call me _'Ombric',_ " he kindly told her, his smile creasing the corners of his eyes. "How about we all take a seat and discuss this over a nice cup of tea, hm?"

Elsa quickly declined the offer in modesty. "Oh, we don't want to trouble you - "

"No, no, please. I've been meaning to entertain some company, plus - wouldn't you like some pointers, Miss Strom, on the summoning ritual?" Ombric smiled when he saw her take his bait. "I'm sure that you would like to summon the spirit of Jack Frost into one of the more powerful classes to ensure your victory in this war."

* * *

Jack blew lightly at his tea, trying to cool it down before taking a sip of it. He sat at the end of the loveseat couch, with Elsa sitting beside him and her attention fully focused on what Ombric had to say. Although he wasn't sure just how much of the information was going to help him, he stayed, listening intently to the conversation.

"What do you mean by classes?" Elsa asked the elderly man, waiting for him to finish drinking his tea. "I thought all I do is summon a Guardian Spirit and that's it."

"Not quite," Ombric replied, coughing into his fist as he cleared his throat. In a low, rumbling voice, he informed her, "there are seven classes a Servant can be summoned into: Caster, Assassin, Rider, Berserker, Archer, Lancer, and finally Saber, the most powerful out of all of them. With the right Guardian Spirit, one could easily win the war with a Servant summoned into the Saber class."

The young woman seemed worried as she glanced at Jack Frost's wooden staff. "Could I...possibly summon him into the Saber class?"

"You could," Ombric contemplated. "From the records I've gathered, Sir Frost was a noble knight that not only was proficient in ice magic much like Queen Elsa, but he was a master swordsman as well. Quite frankly, with this being only the second Lunar Night War in recorded history, and with the first one being an utter failure, I'm not sure what to expect. Neither does the Mages' Association, but I suppose time will only tell."

Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow at what the elderly man said. "I don't mean to sound rude, sir, but this entire war sounds like a high risk gamble. Are we even sure that the Moon can even grant wishes?"

"Jack," Elsa hissed, glaring at him in the process.

Ombric raised his hand, silencing them before they started yelling at each other. "No, you're right, Jack," he calmly addressed the young man, "what we know of the Lunar Night Wars is still very limited, especially since the Moon hardly communicates with us mortals and with much of Arendelle's historical records destroyed by the Trinity." He let out a slow sigh. "Queen Elsa was the only mage able to speak directly with the Moon once she began her preparations for the ritual to sacrifice herself. She documented it all meticulously in her journals. Unfortunately, we don't know what became of them after Arendelle fell into the Trinity's hands. It could hold all the secrets and truths behind the wars, but no mage has been able to locate them. We believe that they were destroyed over time."

The sun began to quickly set, immersing the small cottage in a glowing darkness. Ombric took the time to light some of the candles, apologizing once again that he did not get electricity so far out into the Burgess countryside.

"So then…" Jack started, eyeing both Elsa and Ombric as the old man retook his seat on the small couch. His voice was low as he asked, "is there a reason why mages believe so strongly in such an orderly, but chaotic event?"

"Orderly, but chaotic," the elderly man spoke, repeated Jack's words with an amused chuckle. "How perfectly described." He paused, chuckling once more. "The reason why we mages believe so strongly in this war is because we trust in Queen Elsa. She was a brilliant ruler and Arendelle thrived under her reign. When mages were being executed in other countries, she took them in, despite knowing that her kingdom would become a target for the Trinity. Her leadership and courage convinced the King of Burgess at the time to follow in her decision and he too, allowed mages to take refuge in his country."

"Wow…" the brunette muttered, sharing a look of understanding with Elsa, knowing that the great queen was one of her ancestors.

Ombric nodded, almost somberly. "Her sacrifice came too late to save Arendelle, but Burgess and Corona were saved thanks to the Moon's blessing, thus, saving all the mages that sought shelter in both countries. She was indeed, a brave woman, and you won't find a mage anywhere that would speak ill of her name. That is why we honor her sacrifice by participating in these wars. We trust her enough to know that while six proficient mages will die, the benefit will outweigh the costs."

Jack questioned him again, one last time. "What if the victor mage doesn't wish for something that would benefit mages? What then? Six mages died for the sake of that one mage's selfish desires?"

"The Moon is known to be a fair entity," Ombric revealed softly, "no matter what happens, the price that we pay will equal what we receive...regardless of what an individual's wish is."

* * *

The cold autumn night air chilled Elsa's warm cheeks as she cupped her face with her gloved hands, attempting to shield them. She walked alongside Jack, occasionally peering up at him just to make sure that he was there for the last thing she wanted to do was be lost in such a dark forest. He held Jack Frost's wooden staff tightly in his hand, helping her carry it to the location where Ombric was leading them to.

As soon as the sun had completely set after their conversation in his cottage, the elderly mage led the young adults outside and told them that he would like to accompany them to oversee the summoning of Jack Frost's spirit. He even went as so far as to suggest a location, an isolated clearing in the neighboring forest. Although Burgess had laws protecting mages and allowing for free magecraft, there could still be watchful Trinty members, even in the peaceful Burgess countryside.

"Keep close," Ombric warned them as he held the dimly lit lantern out in front of him. "There's a lot of wild wolves in these forest...as well as vampires."

The word alone struck fear into Elsa's heart.

"I guess with Burgess' laws inviting mages that seek peace, they also draw evil mages as well," Jack said, receiving a nod of agreement from Ombric.

"Many use these forests to practice their dark magecraft since it's easy to hide here." He clicked his tongue softly, expressing his disapproval for such evil intentions. "Many of them think that they're helping the mages' cause by summoning vampires that kill non-magical humans, but they are not the enemy here. These dark mages live with these disillusioned ideals of justice that they've become extremists, much like the Trinity. They must realize that not all non-mages are bad people."

He turned to look over at Jack kindly, who modestly looked away when he realized that he was the one being referenced to.

Ombric simply chuckled at the young man's shyness and turned his attention back towards the road ahead. "We're not too far now," he stated.

Once the three reached the end of the forest and stepped into the small clearing, Elsa's pure blue eyes widened at the sight of a clear summoning ritual array carved into the ground. Before she could question it, the old mage answered her concerns.

"When the headmaster of the academy told me that you were headed to Burgess this week to pick up the relic, I took the liberty of making all the necessary preparations." He turned to face the young woman and he explained, "it is crucial that you summon your Servant as soon as possible. With the war closing in, I'm sure the other mages may have already summoned theirs and without a Servant, you'll be a sitting duck, Miss Strom."

Confidently, Elsa nodded in agreement, holding the hand that bore the command seal. "I understand," she replied, looking over at Jack afterwards to meet eyes with him. He gave her a smile in reassurance and held out the wooden staff towards her.

"It's not too late to back out now," Jack told her with a smirk, fully aware of what her answer would be.

The ice mage chuckled as she took the relic from him without any sense of hesitation in her body language. "Watch who you're talking to, _Overland_ ," she replied, returning his smirk with one of her own. "You're looking at the victor for the next Lunar Night War."

* * *

A cold draft began flowing through the dark cellar. A long woman stood in the darkness, the features of her face illuminated by the orange glow from the torch she held. She looked on at her work, an intricate summoning circle was laid out in front of her. A little smile played upon her gentle, round face as she carefully set the torch on the ground.

" _Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill_ \- repeat it five times," she whispered under her breath as the torch rolled away from the base of her feet slightly to reveal a bloody heap of dead chickens lying just a few feet away from the circle she created with their blood.

She tightened her right hand, which bore a bright red command seal, into a fist. As she took in a sharp breath, holding out her hand in front of her to start the summoning, she could hear the distant sound of footsteps thumping around on the floors above her head.

"We close in a few minutes! Make sure everything is clean and all the barricades are properly set up!" she could hear the tour manager from upstairs. Luckily, it was a slow night and as museum curator all Katherine Claussen had to do was lock up as soon as the staff went home.

Her gray eyes flickered back towards the summoning circle before her, paying no heed to the tour guides that were saying their _'goodnights'_ for the evening. The bloody circular array began to glow as she started up the summoning ritual. She could feel the cool flow of mana circulating throughout her body as a wind began to stir all around her.

In a clear voice she recited, "let thy body rest in my dominion, let my fate rest in thy sword - "

The light around the array grew brighter and the winds surrounding her whipped around almost violently. Her long, auburn hair flew out wildly behind her, but she stood her ground. Her usually calm gaze was narrowed into a steely cold focus on the intricate summoning circle as it began to glow brightly. Despite the painful fatigue she felt from the strain of all of her mana circuits, she pushed on and recited the last of the incantation in fierce determination.

" - Answer my call and the Moon's with thy undying loyalty!"

Both the circle and the command seal on the back of her right hand glowed simultaneously and released a flash of blinding light. It was dazzling, if not, painful to look at. She had to turn away in order to shield her eyes.

When the winds stopped and the light disappeared, the auburn haired female peeked out from behind her raised arm, seeing a dark figure looming in the shroud of hazy smoke. The summoning array had disappeared and in its place was a tall, young man of average muscular build. He had the most striking of green eyes and hair that was of the purest of white. In one hand, he held a long, double-ended spear. His entire body was covered in a tight, form-fitting dark gray suit with a dark gray colored steel armor covering his body except for his torso.

He parted his soft pink lips as he kept his gaze trained on her. There was a kind look in his soft green eyes. "I ask you…" he said in a steady, wispy voice.

* * *

The ritual was complete.

The winds ceased and when the smoke produced by the sheer intensity of mana dissipated, Elsa stilled at the mere sight of him. The tousled silver hair that transitioned to a pale snow white at the tips seemed to glow against the full moon's light. He opened his eyes slowly, revealing a pair of brilliant, glacier blue irises. The mantle he wore flew out behind him. The dark blue cloth kept itself held together on his shoulders by a royal crest that depicted a valiant snow bird taking flight - a symbol only worn by Queen Elsa's most trusted knight.

As she, along with Jack and Ombric stared at the white haired man, he approached them, keeping his blue eyes firmly locked onto Elsa only.

"You are…" she whispered in bewilderment.

The half-crown of ice that adorned his head shimmered beautifully as he opened his mouth to speak. "I ask you," his voice was gentle, but strong with conviction, "are you my Master?"

* * *

 **A/N**

Jack Frost has finally arrived! :)

I hope this chapter wasn't too intense in terms of introducing new characters and information;; As I've read somewhere on the internet, you can take a semester long course on Fate and still not understand all of it. The wikia itself is SO info dense and a lot of the stuff isn't explained in the anime, which is why for the sake of this fic, I will not be including certain things and generally keeping things simple. For those that are fans of the franchise, like I am, sorry. I would have to ask that you don't nitpick if certain concepts are "wrong." Again, this is a mainly RoTG x Frozen crossover fic, not a Fate fic. Moving on...

The spirits themselves were once real people, which was the reason for my adding of the first chapter. I thought some backstory would be nice haha. So for now, we have seen Katherine summon General Night (aka Nightlight) and Elsa summon Sir Jack Frost. We also see Jaime and Sophie participating in the war as well and based on the catalyst Jaime possesses, he will be summoning Nicholas St. North (aka...North lol). We will see who the other remaining Masters/Servants are in the upcoming chapters :)

(I used bits and pieces of the summoning chant from Fate/Zero, but added in my own stuff to it as well because the English translation sounds a bit rough.)

-ZERO-

* * *

 **Review responses**

 **The Atlantean** \- I haven't mentioned Anna too much in the first few chapters so far, but yes, Kristoff and Anna will play a part - although a bit of a minor one compared to Elsa since neither of them are participants in the war. Thank you though!

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2** \- Thank you! ^^

 **Guest** \- Haha, I can't wait to reveal the rest of the Masters and Servants. :)

 **The Crystal Raven** \- Aw thank you qq I am always willing to improve, but at the same time, I do take pride in my writings!

 **theonlyreason -** ahhh thank you, thank you. Yes, Jack Frost has finally appeared. :)

 **Silence In Winter -** Thank you! ahhhh qoq Your review made me so happy haha.


	5. First Battle

**A/N**

To clear up some confusion, Jack Frost is _not_ Jackson Overland in this story. **They are two separate people.** I will be furthering this illustration with their personalities rather than physical appearance. Jack Frost (aka Queen Elsa's knight) will behave less like the Jack we know and more like a "knight." He will speak and act more refined. Jackson on the other hand, will behave more like the movie Jack that we all know and love. As you saw already in the previous chapters, he's playful, jokes around, but at the same time he has a sense of duty. In this case, it's towards his friend Elsa.

The Guardian Spirit/Servant that Elsa Strom summoned for the war is Jack Frost from the first chapter, as you will see in this chapter. He does remember his past life (only in segmented fragments), so...let's just say it'll probably cause some drama? Especially since Elsa looks nearly identical to Queen Elsa from the first chapter. :)

Also, if any of you would like a better "visual" of the summoning ritual last chapter, go to YT and search up the video titled, "Fate Zero summoning the heroic spirits." It's in Japanese, but there are English subtitles!

I have also included a list for the Servants' real identity and their class name as they will be referred to as such. List will be updated as the story goes on.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Classes/Servants**

Caster - _Jack Frost_

Lancer - _Nightlight_

Assassin - ?

Rider - ?

Archer - ?

Berserker - ?

Saber - ?

 **Oath Of Kings And Knights**

 **Chapter 5 - First Battle**

* * *

His breaths came out raggedly from his hoarse throat as he ran through the elaborate chambers and corridors, leaving a trail of cold, brittle bodies belonging to the Trinity's forces in his wake. Jack was well aware that some of their troops had infiltrated the main castle and he feared for his dear queen's life, for she had very little energy to defend herself after such arduous preparation for her sacrifice. He was running low on mana and his muscles screamed for oxygen as he mustered up all the strength he had to focus his energy on his legs. He _had_ to get to her throne room to ensure her safety.

Dark blue, crooked lines flickered and faintly marked themselves over the fabric of his black pants and leather of his long brown riding boots. The valiant knight kicked himself off the ground and he sailed several feet forward before gravity pulled him down again. The added boost in movement his mana provided him allowed for a faster travel to Queen Elsa's throne room, but it did a number on his body.

Upon reaching the large, heavy double doors that led to her throne room, Jack burst through easily, a swell of mana escaping from the palm of his hands as he did so. The doors flew open, only to reveal his expression of horror at the scene before him.

On the cold ground was the unmoving body of the King of Burgess, deep in a pool of his own blood, and a few feet away was Queen Elsa, at the helpless mercy of a man Jack identified as one of the king's advisors, Lord Pitchiner. The knight rushed forth, tightly gripping the wooden hold of his staff. "Elsa - !" he shouted, only to have her stop him.

"Jack - don't!" she urged him desperately as she clawed at Pitchiner's ashy, pale hands that held her thin neck.

Jack grit his teeth when he heard her let out a choked gasp at the tightening of the man's hand around her neck. He raised his staff and pointed it at the king's advisor. "You try that again and I'll freeze you right to the spot!" he threatened dangerously.

Pitch chuckled lowly, tightening his hold around the young woman's neck, preventing her from speaking as he grinned at the white haired man. "You," he drawled, his golden irises flashing dangerously. His grin widened as he returned his attention to the blond haired queen. "You're quite the busy little queen, aren't you? Referring to each other by only your names.. _.my, my_. First, you seduce my honorable king, and you fail to inform him that you have quite the...intimate relationship with your own knight. My king spoke so highly of you as an innocent virgin queen. How wrong he was! You're nothing, but a _filthy harlot_!"

Elsa yelped sharply as she was thrown down by the tall man. She laid upon the ground weakly, completely drained of energy as part of her energy had been taken by the Moon. Still, she attempted to attack him, trying to muster up what energy she had left. However, before she could raise her hand to cast her ice magic, he brought his foot down upon her thin wrist, pinning it to the ground and effectively breaking it with a bit of force.

She couldn't even scream in pain, all she could do was let tears pool in her crystal blue eyes and let her body tremble on its own.

Pitch sneered as he looked back over at the knight, laughing in pure amusement when he saw his face twisted in anger. "Why aren't you attacking me?" he asked. "I thought you said you'd _"freeze me right to the spot"_?" The black haired man clicked his tongue in disappointment. "You know you don't have to follow your queen's orders so literally."

All Jack wanted to do was unleash the full wrath of his powers against the man that dared to hurt the woman he loved, but he remembered what Elsa had told him as she set up the sacrificial array. If another mana source, other than hers, were to taint the immediate area, everything that she had set up could be in vain. Jack had no means of attacking Pitchiner if he stood inside the circle. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin everything Elsa sacrificed herself for.

So, the only thing the brave knight could do was drop his guard and watch in agony as his dear queen, his one and only love, die before him in the cruelest way possible.

* * *

The brunette sat uncomfortably in his seat as the train rattled and steam-powered its way through the Burgess countryside. It was the same train ride as before, but he felt rather unsettled this time around and he knew that it was because they had an additional traveling companion with them. Jack shot an odd look over at the young man that sat across from him and Elsa in the small compartment. He didn't seem to take any notice, instead, keeping his eyes glued on the passing countryside outside the window.

It still struck him odd that Elsa summoned a living, breathing person - despite the fact that he is a "spirit." Jack just simply could not wrap his head around it.

"S _ooooo_ ," he whistled out, trying to break the silence. He saw the man that also called himself _'Jack,_ ' turn to look at him and Elsa raised her head up from the map she was studying intensely. The brunette returned the white haired man's gaze and asked skeptically, "should we call you _'Jack'?_ Because it's going to get confusing, _real_ fast -" he let out a dry laugh, "- I kinda don't want to be called _'Jackson'_ even though that's my real name."

The spirit shook his head, laughing gently. "No please. As a Guardian Spirit summoned by Miss Strom, I only request to be called _'Caster.'_ That is the name I have been given by the Moon when I was summoned and it is best that my real identity does not get out, for it'll be easier for our enemies to gain the upper hand."

"Huh, okay then, _Caster,_ " Jack grunted out, raising a skeptical eyebrow as he eyed the man's wardrobe as well. When he was first summoned, he sported a very regal, knight-like attire that hardly suited the modern world, but he assured them that he would do his best to seamlessly fit in with them and that he did. Now donning a simple dark blue hooded jacket and dark brown jeans, Jack Frost fit right into today's society.

He seemed to notice Jack's scrutinizing glances and Caster laughed gently again, smiling handsomely as he did so. "The Moon has made all the necessary preparations towards my summoning and the other Servants. We have been given some information as to the era we will be summoned into, although not all the information."

Jack shrugged, not particularly too caring on the fine details pertaining to the war. "Fair enough," he responded curtly, letting the young man return back to gazing outside the train and taking in the foreign sights much different from the era he once lived in. The brunette turned his attention over to Elsa and scrunched up his eyebrows at how quiet she had been this entire train ride. It was unusual, even if she was never the talkative type. "Hey," he said to her, "you alright?"

Elsa averted her eyes from him, back down to the map she was looking at. "I'm fine," she muttered, pursing her lips as if she was annoyed. Her eyes flickered over to Caster. A part of her felt - _disappointed._ From what Ombric told her, the caster class was one of the weakest of the servants. She had been determined to summon the spirit of Jack Frost as the powerful saber class as he was regarded as a master swordsman in addition to being a proficient mage, however -

She practically glared down at the red markings of her command seal on her right hand, despising the very appearance of it now. There was no way she could win the war with such a weak servant. Why couldn't she summon him into a stronger class? She knew, with the uttermost confidence, that she had more than enough mana and magic power to easily summon a servant into the stronger classes. The feeling of her own failure ate away at her and all Elsa could do was remain silent, trying to go over in her head what exactly she did wrong.

All she could think about was how embarrassing it was for a mage of her stature to summon one of the weaker classes. What would Hans think? He would laugh at her and she would probably never be able to live with herself if he had a servant in a stronger class than hers. Just as she was wallowing in the disappointment of her own capabilities, Jack mentioned the very name of the devil.

"You said that Hans was one of the chosen masters for the war, right?"

She simply let out a grunt in acknowledgement.

"Yeah," Jack sighed in disgusted, reminiscing over the memory of how the pompous, auburn haired teen proudly announced it to the entire Association on the day they all graduated. He quickly sensed Elsa's discomfort and he reassured her, "don't worry. He doesn't stand a chance against you."

Elsa eyed Caster for a moment before darting her eyes over to Jack. "I'm not worried over _that,_ " she whispered. She suddenly took Jack by the hand and quickly led him out of the compartment, wordlessly. They both ignored the confused glance that Caster gave them as they exited.

When the silver haired man was left alone in silence, he looked back out the window, then down to his own hands. His brow slowly furrowed, in response to the distress he felt inside of his chest. Surely, he thought, that this must be a punishment for him or...a chance at erasing the past. He swallowed harshly as he began to reaffirm to himself that this must be why he was allowed to come back as a spirit, why he was given a second chance at life, and why the master he must serve bore such a striking resemblance to the woman he loved.

Visions of the lovely queen he had once served, danced through his head. The shimmering turquoise dress made of delicate ice crystals, her soft laugh, the soft platinum blond hair of hers that he loved to run his fingers through every night he spent in her bed alongside her, her dazzling smile - _yes_ , he had no doubts that this was fate giving him a second chance at saving her. The love of his life -

" _Elsa_ …"

* * *

" _You_? Lose?"

Standing just a few compartments down from theirs, Elsa and Jack stood just mere inches away from each other in the cramped, narrow hallway of the rumbling train. He stood over her, a look of incredulity in his brown eyes as she spoke.

"I have no chance of winning with such a weak Servant," she stated bluntly. "No matter how obedient he is, Caster will lose if we come across a Master that summoned a Servant into one of the three knight classes."

"Which are…?"

Elsa sighed exasperatedly. "Archer, Lancer, or the Saber classes," she recited, "Ombric told us this, Jack. It doesn't matter what my magic power is like. _No_ mage can hold their own against a Guardian Spirit. Servants need to fight a Servant in order for it to be a fair fight." The blonde raised her right hand up so that she could show him her command seal. "That's why the Moon gives us mages these seals. They give us absolute power over our own Servants should they decide to turn on us or not obey. A Master will be in huge trouble if their Servant were to rebel against him."

The brunette quietly took the time to absorb all the information she had give him. "So then...are you giving up?" he questioned her, to which Elsa shot him a confused look.

"You know that it's too late to back out now, Jack - "

" - _Exactly_ ," he told her, flashing her his trademark smirk. "It's too late to have second thoughts so, you have to work with the hand you've been dealt. So what if you have one of the weaker Servants? The Elsa I know wouldn't just give up this easily over something so minor. Are you forgetting all the preparations you went through for this? All the effort you put in? Are you just going to let it all go to waste?"

She frowned. "No, but -"

"No _'buts'_!" he practically said as if he was scolding her. Jack grabbed the young woman's shoulders tightly. "You said it yourself! You didn't drag me halfway across the globe just for nothing. I hate that you're even participating in this war, but this is what you've wanted for such a long time and I'll remain by your side until you get your wish granted by the Moon!" He suddenly stopped, blinking at the realization of what he just said. If he didn't know any better, it sounded similar to a confession and his cheeks promptly erupted into blooms of red. Quickly, he added in, "y - you know...just to watch your back. Like hell I'm going to let you die. I promised your parents that I'd look after you."

Elsa took notice of his embarrassment from his bold statement, but seemed oblivious to his underlying feelings. She burst into a series of giggles and the mere sound of her melodious laughter sent shivers down Jack's spine. She tousled his hair, making him frown at the innocent, sisterly gesture. "Yeah I remember," she responded, "and right after, my parents told you that they're frankly more worried over _you_ than they were of _me_."

His blush deepened as he turned his head away from her. "Th - Thanks for the reminder," he grumbled, prompting another laugh from the blonde.

She decided to spare him further embarrassment and said nothing else. Instead, she smiled and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"El - Elsa?" he stammered, his face growing a deeper shade of red than earlier.

"...Thanks, Jack," she told him in earnest. "I needed that little pep talk." Elsa breathed out softly and rested her head against his chest. She closed her eyes, relaxing herself against him. "You _always_ know what to say...to make me feel better."

"N - No problem," he managed to answer her with much difficulty. His heart felt as if it was about to explode and he had to admit that it was hard to speak properly when his childhood crush was cozying up to him. Jack let out the breath he had been holding in as soon as soon as she pulled away. She seemed to take no notice of his odd behavior as she gave him another warm smile.

"We should get back to the compartment," she said. "I'm sure Jack - _I mean_ \- Caster, is waiting for us."

* * *

Katherine cleared her throat as she set down the hot tea cup back onto the coffee table in front of her. With a relaxed, composed smile, she addressed the young man that she had summoned as her servant. "So, Lancer." Her voice was soft, but still clear and full of confidence. "You said that in your past life, you were a general serving under the king of Burgess?"

The green eyed man nodded his head once. "That is correct." An ardent smile graced his handsome, youthful features. "It was a joy to serve such an admirable king."

Katherine raised a slim eyebrow, amused. "You respect him very much, General Night," she said, addressing him by his real identity.

"Of course. He did not deserve any less." Lancer set his gaze on the young woman sitting before him. "However...I understand that this is a new era and my allegiance is not towards my king anymore. He is long gone now and the only person I strive to serve is you, Lady Claussen."

Her expression relaxed. She made the right choice in taking the chance of not utilizing a relic as a catalyst for the summoning of her servant. By not using one, Katherine knew that the Moon would pick the most suitable servant in regards to the level of her magical abilities and personality. Luckily for her, she summoned an obedient servant that belonged to one of the stronger knight classes. If Katherine played her cards right, she knew that victory was well within her reach.

"Please," she said, standing up and holding out her right hand towards him. She tucked a lock of tawny colored hair behind her ear. "Call me _'Katherine'._ There's no need to be formal with me. I intend to treat you as a comrade on equal footing with me. We are only Master and Servant by title."

The young man gazed up at her before breaking into a gentle smile. He stood up, standing a head taller than her as he took her hand in a tight grip. "Very well...then feel free to call me by my real name as well."

"Won't that jeopardize your identity? If the other Masters and Servants know who you are, then they can easily figure out your strengths and weaknesses and play upon them."

He seemed to have a calm confidence in himself as he stated, "I do not worry about such things because even if they know my identity, I can still defeat whoever stands in our way towards victory. I promise you." Smoothly, he brought Katherine's hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles, showing her his level of devotion.

She modestly smiled at him, her cheeks turning a slight pink in color at his actions, and she whispered to him, "I will hold you to that promise then...Night."

* * *

It was late into the evening and unfortunately for Elsa, the last train headed for Corona was full. She sighed tiredly as she stood in front of the train station with Caster. They were waiting for Jack to hail down a cab so that they could spend the night at an inn. It was taking him a while, much to Elsa's chagrin. All she wanted to do was collapse upon a flurry of bed sheets and rest her head upon the softest of pillows.

"Are you cold?" Caster asked, curiously peering over to meet her eyes.

Elsa shook her head, mustering up a smile even though she was tired. "What kind of ice mage would I be if I let the cold bother me?"

"Ah," he responded, chuckling softly. His blue eyes diverted up to the twinkling night sky at the low rumble of a passing airplane and he stared in deep intrigue.

Elsa took notice of his interest in the aircraft and she smiled as she tilted her head back as well. "I'm sure all of these things must be interesting to you, especially since you lived in such a different era."

"Yes," he breathed out, shoving his hands into the front pocket of his baggy hoodie. "The world changed so much." Caster lowered his head and looked back at his master. His blue eyes relaxed as he stared at the young woman. The more he looked at her, the more she reminded him of Queen Elsa. They were practically the spitting image of each other.

As Elsa remained oblivious to Caster's loving gaze, Jack took immediate notice. He saw the way the silvery-white haired man was staring at her as a lover would to his other half. Surely, he believed that he was overthinking it as he was running back to them. The brunette shook it off, choosing to ignore what he witnessed and called out to them. "Hey! Got us a cab!" he yelled out, throwing a thumb over his shoulder towards the waiting yellow car.

With her attention having been drawn over to Jack, she smiled at the brunette briefly before moving to pick up her bags. However, before she could, Caster took it upon himself to carry the load. Their hands brushed against each other, causing a light blush to appear on Elsa's cheeks as she stared into the young man's stunning blue eyes and in that moment, she realized just how handsome Jack Frost was.

"I'll take it, don't worry, Elsa."

She could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat within her chest at the mere sound of her name from him. All she could do was dumbly nod as she watched him carry the heavy duffel bag and walk on ahead of her.

As Caster walked past Jack, the two men brushed shoulders with each other and shared a fleeting glance. Even though Jack would have liked to remain on friendly terms with the guardian spirit, he couldn't help, but show his obvious irritation towards him. Caster didn't seem to take too much notice and simply walked right past him without a second thought.

"Jack?" he heard Elsa call out to him.

He turned his head to see her standing beside him, gazing up at him curiously. She tugged on the sleeve to his coffee brown trench coat.

"You okay?" she asked.

He quickly flashed her a lame smile. "Yeah, sorry. I must be tired," he answered her.

Elsa smiled back at him, giggling softly. "Same here. Let's just get to the hotel."

Jack let her walk on ahead of him and he watched as she got into the cab first, with Caster generously helping her inside. He smiled gently at the female mage, his gaze soft and pensive as he handled her with the greatest of care. The brunette's brow furrowed at the sight.

There was no mistaking it. The way Caster was looking at Elsa went beyond just a simple, mutual respect. He was treating and looking at her as a man would a lover.

* * *

There was an unsettling feeling in the atmosphere, but Jack couldn't quite place a finger on it.

He turned around to face Elsa. "Are you sure this place is safe to stay in for the night?" he asked with the highest level of skepticism.

The platinum blond narrowed her eyes at him sharply. "Are you doubting me?"

"Of course not," Jack said tiredly, rolling his brown eyes. "It's just...the neighborhood doesn't seem like the friendliest." He looked around, squinting into the darkness towards some shady individuals lurking around on the streets. Upon making eye contact, he frowned, and turned back towards Elsa. "Why couldn't we get a hotel near the train station?"

"Because those are expensive," she said with a grumble. "We work with what we have for now."

As the taxi drove off, Elsa began walking into the hotel. However, just before she could take a step forward, she stopped halfway. Her eyebrows knitted together, as if she was in distress, and her eyes widened in shock. Jack took notice of this and asked, "what's wrong?"

"The mana signature in the area changed - " she whispered.

"What - ?"

Caster chimed in, sensing the same feeling that Elsa was. "Yes," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as he dropped the duffel bag he was carrying onto the ground. The white haired man looked around at the dark surroundings and clenched his fists tightly. "So, they trapped us into a _marble reality._ "

Before Jack could ask what that meant, he saw Caster close his eyes in concentration. The guardian spirit's blue hoodie and brown denim pants glowed with a soft blue aura before shimmering in a brilliant, brighter light that instantly replaced his modern day wear with his knight uniform, the one that he was wearing when he was first summoned. The dark blue mantle flew out behind him, the ends of the cape coming to a rest at his ankles. From the palm of his white gloved hands, he produced the wooden shepherd's staff that Elsa had used as a relic for his summoning. As soon as the weapon fully materialized, Caster informed Jack and Elsa, "please stay behind me."

"What is going on?" Jack questioned in frustration. "What's a _marble reality_? It looks like nothing changed!"

Elsa explained it to him, keeping up her guard at the same time. "A marble reality is something a mage could create in order to amplify their powers in an alternate universe. They can create a perfect copy of the environment or change it completely to however it suits their needs. In this case, it looks like whoever created this marble reality didn't change anything about the surroundings. That's why it still looks like we're on the streets of Burgess."

He didn't quite understand all of it, but he knew that they were in imminent danger regardless. Just as Jack drew one of his pistols from the holster on his waist, he felt a sharp, unbearable pain on his right arm. He let out a cry in pain and stumbled back a few steps before falling to his knees.

"Jack!" Elsa quickly rushed to his side. She gasped under her breath at the copious amount of blood that had dampened his clothes around the deep gash. Blood flowed down his arm and hand, falling to the sidewalk in a steady drip. Her hands trembled, unsure of what she could do to stop the bleeding.

Caster immediately took notice of a blade that was shrouded in a dark sand-like element, which quickly dissolved. He tightly gripped his staff and whispered, "it can't be…"

The sound of another blade cutting through the air met his ears and with lightning-fast reflexes, Caster spun on his heel and held out his hand to create a thick shield made out of fine ice crystals. The dark blades met the clear surface before bursting away into a fine, black sand. Upon seeing the granules falling to the sidewalk and rolling by his feet, Caster was well aware of who it was.

"My, my...to think that we would meet again."

Caster tightened his grip on his staff and ground his teeth together at the sight of a lanky, pale man emerging from the depths of the inky shadows of the surrounding buildings. His ice blue eyes locked onto the other man's glowing yellow orbs and kept them there until he fully revealed himself. "Assassin," he lowly whispered, "no - _Lord Pitch_."

The black haired man chuckled softly, his pointed teeth peeking out from behind his thin lips. "So, you do remember me... _Jack Frost_. Tell me, is this fate bringing us back together so you can have your _revenge_ against me? ...Or is this fate granting me another chance at _killing you_?"

* * *

 **Next chapter: **_The Battle Between Servants_

* * *

 **A/N**

Oh look, an ensuing love triangle LOL.

So some more info on general things pertaining to this story -

Burgess, Arendelle, Berk, and Corona are all European nations. Burgess is equivalent to Britain, Arendelle to Norway, Berk is an island of its own off the coast of Burgess, and Corona to Germany. New Burgess equivalent to the US. Just wanted to clarify before it gets confusing and such.

The Guardian Spirits/Servants all have a real identity, but they are referred to by their class names rather than their real names. While this does happen in Fate, I'm mainly doing this so to avoid the confusion of the two 'Jack's.

If anyone's curious about how the command seals work, go to Youtube and find the video titled - "Fate/Zero: Kiritsugu Last Command". It shows how the seals look and the concept behind them. The seals are all different in shape for each of the masters and it allows for absolute control over their servants. More will be elaborated upon in the future chapters :)

As always, thank you for all the kind reviews! You guys spoil me too much as a writer.

-ZERO-

* * *

 **Review responses:**

The Atlantean \- Unfortunately no ): Queen Elsa is not slated to be summoned as a Guardian Spirit. While there is "double Jelsa," as you can see in this chapter, it's more of a love triangle haha, but! I can only advise you read on. I think in the next chapter, it will become clear that Jack Frost is not quite in love with Elsa Strom. :)

Guest 1 \- No, haha. Jack Frost is not the same person as Jackson Overland.

Guest 2 \- Oh gosh, I'm blushing so hard. Thank you! And yes, they look pretty similar. I mainly want to illustrate their differences through their personalities rather than physical appearance. ^^

Shidake \- Aw, thank you so much! Unfortunately, I cannot control that, even though it would be nice to have more reviews per chapter, but my guess is that some people are confused by the 'Modern AU' tag, then with chapter 1 being set in the past, then chapter 2 being set in the present time. I personally don't think it is confusing, but several reviews have people asking what is going on haha. Regardless, I don't mind. I love writing for this story so I will keep producing chapters despite the low review count :)

Tigger1027 \- ahhh hello hello! Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this story as well!

Lilacsbloomindarkness \- Won't say anything yet ;) Just read on

LaylaMT \- Thank you! Had to put your review through Google translate haha;;


	6. The Battle Between Servants

**A/N**

Bits and pieces will finally start coming together in this chapter!

 **Oath Of Kings And Knights**

 **Chapter 6 - The Battle Between Servants**

 _Warnings - Violence_

* * *

Elsa could have sworn that the surrounding air dropped several degrees. She could see her own breath as it flowed out past her pink lips. It was suspenseful, to say the least. Watching the two Servants about to square off against each other was something that Elsa was excited, but apprehensive, to see. She had heard from her professors at the Mages' Association that the servants summoned by the Moon were immensely powerful, able to reach magical thresholds that no mortal mage could ever hope to achieve.

She began to worry if they were too close to the insinuating battle when she saw a thin layer of ice begin to spread out from underneath the sole of Caster's leather boots.

Jack, also noticing this, got back up on his feet, grunting in pain at his injury. "I'm fine," he said in a strained voice when Elsa tried to support him. "Should we run?" he questioned her, seeing the servant that was about to fight Caster, produce a huge, black scythe out of the grainy sand material.

"...I would advise that you get back," Caster answered him, keeping his eyes locked onto Assassin. He held out his arm to the side and a large magical circle appeared beneath his feet. "I wouldn't want to accidentally harm either of you."

Elsa and Jack took a step back, warily as the temperature began dropping rapidly. She could practically feel the icy cold sensation prickling the exposed skin on her hands and face. Without another moment's hesitation, she displayed a determined look in her narrowed eyes as she addressed Caster. "Then I'll leave him to you!" she shouted.

Jack widened his brown eyes as he felt Elsa take hold of his wrist and pull him away into the opposite direction. " _Woah_ , wait a minute!" he exclaimed as he followed the blond, "we're just going to _leave_ him there?"

"He can hold his own," she replied, stopping every so often as she navigated her way through the tight alleys and deserted streets. She seemed to be looking for something - _or someone_. "Servants in the assassin class aren't too powerful either, perhaps even weaker than the caster class, but in exchange, the assassin class can detect the mana signature from a master's command seal easily. It allows for an easy way to win the war if you play your cards right." Elsa furrowed her brow. "Although...it is strange that whoever Assassin's master is, allowed for a one-on-one fight. They should be aware that they'll be at a huge disadvantage."

"Does it really matter? If his master's that stupid, then that'll be one less master to worry about," the brunette asked, just as the two heard a loud boom from the area where they had left Caster. Both their heads sharply turned in the general direction of the thunderous noise.

Elsa quickly averted her attention back to the task at hand. "I know," she answered him, "but I'm not taking any of the participants lightly. The minute you let your guard down, you _die_." Acutely, she deduced the situation. "Assassin could just be a distraction. I'm sure that his master set up the marble reality to trap us inside. The longer we're in here, the more distorted reality will get."

"And...that's bad?" Jack asked flatly, earning him a dry glare from her.

"Of course it's bad. If the reality is that Caster is stronger than Assassin, then if we're in this marble reality for too long, it could get switched. Caster could be defeated if we don't find a way out of here - _fast_ ," she explained briefly, placing a stressed tone on the last word she uttered.

"Alright, got it," he said with a slight upward motion of his dark eyebrows, still finding all this magic talk confusing as hell. His eyes wandered around the dark streets. "So then, what exactly should we do?"

Elsa knitted her eyebrows together, fortifying her nerves with a fierce determination as she answered him. "We need to take out the mage that created this marble reality. That's the only way we'll be able to escape."

* * *

Caster gripped his shepherd's staff so tightly that his knuckles turned a ghostly white. He grit his teeth as he stood within a field of ice along with his opponent. Shards of ice littered the immediate area around them, some stabbing the buildings and roads surrounding them.

Assassin clicked his tongue as he shook his head. His thin lips curled upwards into a malicious grin as he spoke. "All that and you couldn't even land a scratch on me, Frost."

The white haired man narrowed his eyes and produced several more magic circles behind him. "You and I both know that this isn't a fair fight, Pitch."

The tall man's gold colored eyes flickered over to the blue magic circles. He seemed wary of them, but kept himself rooted to the spot where he stood. "There is no such thing as _'fairness'_ in war, Jack," he drawled, chuckling as he turned the black scythe he held into an archer's bow. He produced several arrows, made out of the black, sand-like substance, and strung it on. "People don't care about _how_ you win...so as long as you do."

He shot out the black arrows the very next second. The projectiles soared through the air, creating a high pitched whistling sound.

Quickly, Jack jumped back whilst holding out his hand in front of him, dodging the arrows. The palm of his glowed a soft blue and in a translucent blur, he teleported back several feet from where he once stood. He eyed the arrows that missed him, noticing that they too, disappeared into a black sand. However, he couldn't stay there for long as more arrows came soaring towards him.

With great agility, he ducked and dodged the arrows, occasionally boosting his movement with a burst of mana.

Pitch narrowed his eyes as he continued his barrage of arrows. A sly smirk crossed his angular face as he predicted Jack's next move. He shot out his last set of arrows, then quickly transformed his archer's bow into his trademark scythe. As soon as the white haired mage landed in the projected spot where Pitch assumed he would, he rushed forth, scythe in-hand and pulled back.

As his feet made contact with the ground, Jack drew in a sharp breath with eyes widening at the sight of Pitch just a few inches away from him. He was taken completely off-guard.

A lone chuckle escaped him, despite the fact that Jack had managed to jump away. Pitch's smirk deepened as he stood there, scythe in hand, with the black blade coated in the thinnest layer of blood.

 _He got him._

Jack stifled down a strangled groan as he held his bleeding abdomen. He struggled to keep himself on his feet, visibly stumbling.

" _Oh_ , Jack," Pitch cooed, looking over the young man with a mock pity in his eyes. "It's no wonder that you failed to protect your lovely queen. _Elsa_ , was it?"

A dangerous light flashed within Jack's blue eyes as he snapped his head up to glare at his opponent. "You…" he growled, "you don't get to say her name. You don't have the right!"

He threw his head back and cackled. _"I_ don't have the right? _I'm_ the one that killed her -!"

Despite the pain that torn through his body, Jack let out a strangled cry and charged towards Pitch. His staff glowed a bright blue just as he swung it at the man. The magical energy inside the wooden conduit crackled as it missed him by a mile. Still, Jack persisted, willing his body to move despite the heavy toll his body was taking from his fatal injury.

Pitch continued taunting him, dodging the physical attacks with ease. "I'm the one that subdued you and forced you to watch as I _ripped_ away her soul from her physical body!"

Rage forced the adrenaline to go coursing through his veins. Jack Frost, the head knight of Queen Elsa's court, known for being a level-headed and calm leader, could feel himself reverting back to the immature, hot-headed youth he once was before meeting her. Pitch was egging him on and he was falling right into it because all he could see in front of his eyes was red. The anger clouded his judgement, which caused him to succumb to his injury after a short while.

Fatigued and worn out, Jack fell to his knees with a soft grunt. His shoulders heaved up and down violently as he fought to replenish his lungs with cool air. He held himself upright with the support of his staff, resting his forehead against the rough wood as he heard Pitch approach him from behind.

Pitch narrowed his golden eyes down at the fallen knight. Carelessly, he kicked away the staff with very little effort, forcing the young man to fall onto the concrete of the sidewalk. He laughed out of his nose, sneering as he placed his foot on Jack's head. "How was it?" he asked, applying more pressure onto his leg.

Jack clenched his teeth tightly together, struggling to get Pitch off of him, without much avail. He refused to answer him.

" _How was it_!?" the black haired man yelled loudly. "How was it being rendered completely helpless and forced to watch your dear queen cry in _pain and agony_? Just like now?" Pitch chuckled darkly as he ground his heel into the base of Jack's head. "As soon as my master gets a hold of your master, perhaps I'll subject you to the same torture as before."

Jack felt the pressure upon his head disappear, but no sooner did he feel a sharp kick across his face. He cried out, rolling over onto his back. Despite the heavy blows, he mustered up the energy to send Pitch a deathly glare. "You...won't touch her," he breathed out raggedly. "I _won't_ let you."

"Interesting, isn't it?" Pitch asked, chuckling once more. "The fact that she shares the same name as your queen and the fact that they look so strikingly similar. What I wouldn't give to see that pretty little face become defiled with fear and pain once more -"

Without wasting another second, Jack took hold of his discarded staff once more and aimed it up at the lanky man. He grit his teeth as the conduit glowed a bright blue, before shooting off an icy blast. It hit Pitch directly in the chest and sent him flying.

He let out a surprised cry before landing flatly in the middle of the road several feet away from Jack.

The ice mage managed to get himself back up onto his feet and he held his bleeding stomach as he fell back against the building behind him. Gasping and struggling for breath, Jack closed his eyes, trying to keep his consciousness intact. Being a Guardian Spirit, Jack knew that he should have been healed of his injuries already, but the persistent pain said otherwise. He reopened his eyes, staring up at the distorted night sky.

He knew that it was because of this marble reality that he succumbed so easily to Pitch's attacks. His movements were sluggish from the start of the fight and as the battle wore on, he could feel his magical energy being depleted at a rapid rate. With this in mind, Jack saw it as no surprise when he saw Pitch get back up on his feet, despite the fatal blast of cold to his heart.

Pitch breathed out a chilled breath as he held his chest. Flashing the ice mage with a toothy smirk, he asked, "I thought you were one for fair fights, being a knight and all!"

"...I can't force myself to fight fair if my opponent does not do the same," Jack responded, his voice sounding strained.

Seeing as the knight would go down with one last attack, Pitch conjured up his archer's bow and a single, long arrow. He took aim at Jack, pointing the tip directly at his head. "Such is the foolish honor of a knight," he said, grinning lopsidedly. "Unfortunately it cannot save you in the end -"

He stopped, eyes going wide as a loud cracking sound could be heard. Pitch immediately snapped his head up to the sky and saw the marble reality shattering before his very eyes. His jaw fell as he whispered spitefully, "...Hans, you fool -"

He averted his attention back towards Jack when he heard a crackling noise. Just barely, did Pitch sidestep and dodge a burst of magical energy. He glared at the white haired man and simply clicked his tongue in annoyance. Without another word, he took a step back, and swiftly disappeared into the inky darkness of the shadows.

Jack did nothing to chase after him, knowing that even if the marble reality was shattered, he was still at a disadvantage due to his injuries. Feeling his legs give out from underneath him, the servant slid down the length of the brick wall he was leaning up against. From the loss of mana, his staff faded and the knightly regalia he donned disappeared in a soft flash of light. With his attire replaced with the blue hooded jacket and brown denim pants he had been wearing prior to the battle, Caster sat there weakly, trying not to succumb to his injuries.

From the distance, he heard Elsa's voice calling out for him and no sooner did he find himself staring into those familiar blue eyes. He broke into a soft smile, raising his hand up to cup her cheek. She looked so lovely, even as his vision began to darken and blur. A vision of graceful beauty and strength that he had hopelessly fallen in love with centuries ago, was before his eyes once more. Jack Frost began to realize that he had been granted at another chance at life, solely for the purposes of protecting his dear Queen.

Even with his body wracked with pain, he rubbed the pad of his thumb across her smooth cheek and he whispered with such romantic intimacy, as one would to a lover -

"Elsa...I'm glad you're safe."

* * *

His breath came out in ragged pants as he tailed his friend closely from behind. The stairwell they were in echoed each footfall loudly. The winter air that had once chilled him, felt warm against his skin and he desperately wished that he could take off his brown trench coat.

"We're almost there!" Elsa said back to him as they neared the rooftop of the building. "I can sense a mana source...but," she wrinkled her brow, "it's a little strange."

Jack cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

They made it to the very top and Elsa grabbed at the cold door handle, keeping her hand at a rest on it. "...It feels...familiar - like I know who it is. I can tell that they're trying to hide their own mana signature with the mana from their command seal, but it's not working out so well since I'm still able to detect it." Elsa shook her head, dispelling the thoughts from her head. "Whatever. Just be on your guard. Either this guy is stupid, as you said, for making his assassin class servant fight one-on-one with Caster or he's extremely confident in his ability to create and maintain a marble reality."

Jack reached into his trench coat and pulled out his handgun. "So," he said cautiously, "are we going to kill this guy, whoever he is?"

She sensed the apprehension in his voice. Elsa dropped her gaze morosely. "We have to," she told him in a soft mutter, "you _know_ that."

The brunette looked to her and he promptly looked away. "...You sound like you don't want to kill anyone either."

Elsa closed her eyes gently. "I _don't_ ," she admitted, "but those are the rules of the war. Only one can remain alive...and I'd rather be alive than _dead_. If that means that I have to kill people, then I'm left with no other choice."

She twisted the doorknob and flung open the door. They both rushed out onto the rooftop, Jack with his guns drawn and Elsa with an arm out in front of her ready to strike anyone with a blast of cold. The muscles in both of their bodies froze up when they saw a single figure standing out over the ledge of the building. The mysterious person had their back turned towards them, concealing their identity.

"Is that him?" Jack whispered towards Elsa.

Her eyes narrowed in on the dark figure. "Most likely. Marble realities reject anyone other than the mage that created it and their intended targets."

" - Clever as always, aren't you _Elsa_?" a familiar voice taunted her. In the darkness of the night, the figure turned slightly, a part of his face catching the the little bits of ambient light that the moonlight provided.

Both Elsa and Jack's eyes went wide in surprise, but the blond managed to quickly regain her nerves. "I should have known it would be you," she said darkly, taking a step forward in a display of aggression.

Jack saw the red head turn around completely to face them. The grip on his guns tightened at the sight of the person that had tormented him for a good number of years while he was a student at the Mages' Association. " _Hans_ ," the brunette growled from behind clenched teeth.

The pompous young man flickered his forest green eyes over to Jack, then looked away without much thought, as if he was purposely ignoring him. This grated the brunette's nerves, but he said nothing as Hans initiated a conversation with Elsa. "So...Snow Princess, how have you been? Haven't seen you around since graduation." He saw that she was still on her guard and laughed lavishly at it. He raised a clean cut eyebrow at her. "Oh stop it, I'm just here to talk."

"By trapping us in something as dangerous as a marble reality? I don't think so," Elsa replied coldly, her anger just simmering beneath her calm surface.

"Hm," Hans grunted, letting a smug grin spread across his face. His eyes went towards the area where Assassin and Caster were battling. "I saw that you summoned Jack Frost into the caster class. I expected _better_ from you honestly."

Elsa dropped her gaze a little, frustrated by the reminder of her shortcomings when summoning a servant. Luckily for her, Jack was there to help out.

"Like _you're_ one to talk," he shot out, "you summoned your servant into one of the weakest classes!"

Hans averted his attention towards Jack finally and he gave an incredulous look along with a dry smirk. "I don't need an Association _drop-out_ to tell me what I did _'wrong'._ You must feel _very_ smart for pointing out the obvious, Jackson," he said sarcastically, "but unfortunately, even when you're right, you're _wrong_."

Jack bared his teeth as his finger hovered over the trigger of his handgun. His heart pounded mercilessly at his chest as he tried to get himself to calm down. Getting angry in this situation would just be handing Hans the victory on a silver platter. Jack knew that he was better than that.

The clean-cut young man waved his hand nonchalantly. "The assassin class has its own advantages...advantages that I'm sure, you know, Elsa," he flashed her a smooth, handsome smirk. "You see - while the assassin class lacks in direct combat power, they make up for it by assassinations. Just when you don't suspect a thing, I can order Assassin to take you out, or any one of the other Masters. Ingenious, no?"

"It's just like you to use a class that gains victory by lurking in the shadows," Elsa replied with a mirthless laugh.

"Oh, but I _do_ gain a victory," Hans fired back with a smug confidence in his voice.

"Then if that's your tactic in winning the Lunar War, why order a direct battle with us? Marble realities can only be maintained for so long," she stated in a matter-of-factly manner.

"Is that what you think?" His grin widened. "You see...you weren't the only one prepping for the War. While you were busy cooking up those _useless rocks,_ I took it upon myself to achieve a complete mastery over the creation of marble realities. I can maintain one for however long as I like, without depleting my mana."

Elsa's expression changed into that of uneasiness. She had never expected that Hans would be able to master such a tricky skill. He could be bluffing, but with the way that his marble reality was still steadily trapping them and with how it looked like he wasn't breaking a single sweat, Elsa began doubting that notion.

Hans made a little face as if he was disappointed with the lack of response. "Aw, no applause?" he asked, clapping for himself mockingly in a grandiose manner. When both Jack and Elsa remained silent, he let out a sharp sigh and held his hands together briefly. "Alright then…" A dangerous light within his green eyes flickered as he held out his hand. "Maybe _this_ will get you two talking!"

Several red-black magic circles appeared on the ground in front of him. They multiplied and spread across the floor of the rooftop, eventually surrounding Jack and Elsa as well. The two stood there, frozen in shock as to what was happening.

"No…" Elsa breathed out in a frightened panic.

"What's happening?" Jack asked, growing horrified when he saw grotesque beings emerging from the circles. "What are those things!?"

"Vampires," she answered him, drawing in a shuddering breath. "To think that he would stoop this low to dabble in the darkest skills of magecraft -"

" - Is it _really_ that surprising coming from him?" Jack aimed his gun at one that hadn't fully manifested and shot it directly in the head with deadly precision. It let out an ear-splitting screech before crumpling to the ground. He took aim at another one and fired, killing it.

Hans laughed at Jack's futile attempts as he summoned more vampires. "Unless you have a machine gun with a full clip, you got no chance at taking them all down with that _toy_ , Overland!" He watched with a delighted amusement as they were cornered by the bloodthirsty monsters he summoned. However, his expression contorted into that of trifling anger when he saw they regain their ground.

Elsa froze the ones closest to them, buying her and Jack enough time to mow through half of them. She crouched her body slightly, bending her knees as if she was getting ready to lunge forward. Crooked blue mana lines lit up her legs, etching themselves on top of the sheer black stockings she wore. An energy fluctuated around her.

"I'm going for Hans," she told Jack. "I can leave you alone here, right?"

The brunette flashed her a cheeky grin as he fired off another round. "I can leave you alone to deal with Hans, right?"

She let out a soft, amused laugh. "Who was the one that beat him up for you when we were students?"

His smile fell flat. "Just go," he answered her, rolling his eyes.

Elsa didn't waste anymore time and concentrated her mana into her legs, providing a boost for herself so that she could jump well above the heads of the grounds of vampires. She found herself hurtling straight for Hans, so she delivered a well-aimed kick at him. Missing him barely, due to him dodging at the last second, Elsa brought her foot down on the hard floor with such a force, she created a small hole on the roof.

Hans seemed unnerved by how adept she was at using mana in accordance with her hand-to-hand combat. He barely had time to dodge any of her blows as she rushed towards him, using her mana as an added burst of speed as well. They seemed to be circling around, Elsa pushing him back into any direction that she pleased as he was forced to block her fists and legs with his arms only. While his own mana provided a bit of a protection from the fatal blows, they still hurt immensely.

After a while though, she stopped abruptly and jumped back, soaring high into the air as she held out her hand towards him.

" _Is Sirkel_!" she shouted. The magic circles that she had been creating as she kept Hans distracted, lit up in a brilliant display of bright teal light. A sudden drop in temperature and an eerie chill began capturing Hans in its embrace.

Before he could figure out what was happening, he found that he could not move at all. He clenched his teeth, baring them in anger when he saw that his feet was completely frozen solid to the ground. Hans breathed out unevenly as he looked all around, seeing that he had fallen right into her trap without his knowledge. "You little ice _bitch_ -!"

" - _Fengsel_."

The magic circles fluctuated and from them, five tall spires of ice erupted high above Han's head. Once they stopped, sharp shards emerged from the spires and targeted Hans inside the prison-like chamber. However, just before they could skewer his body, they stopped a mere millimeter away from him.

Hans saw this and raised an eyebrow at it. "Aren't you going to finish me off?" he asked, smirking when he saw the clear distress that was written over Elsa's face.

The platinum blond held her hand out, trying to keep the shards from him. With a shuddering breath, she looked to him and then averted her eyes. Why was this so hard? Why was killing someone, so hard? Wasn't she ready for it?

He smirked, seeing that she was clearly not ready to kill someone. The hesitation was as clear as day. "...Poor Elsa Strom," he cooed, taunting her, "you thought you were ready to participate in this brutal war? You can't even kill me!"

Her anger flared. " _Shut up_!" she shouted, focusing her mana so that some of the shards pierced Hans' arms and legs.

The young man let out a feigned, bloodcurdling scream, prompting Elsa to gasp and take a few steps back in fear. Hans caught sight of this and smirked under his guise, pleased to see her weak side. He knew very well by now that she would never be able to kill him, no matter what. Not with how much fear she was displaying right now.

Shaking visibly at the sight of Hans' blood, Elsa felt herself waver, unable to land a killing blow on him. She mentally held herself back and eventually, she caved. "...Let us go," she muttered lowly. With her outstretched hands trembling, she repeated with the weakest of whispers, "let us go, Hans, and we'll - AGH!"

She suddenly cried out and cradled the hand that bore her command seal. An unbearable pain shot through her arm, almost as if someone had ripped her hand away from her arm violently. The ice prison that she had maintained immediately shattered as she fell to the ground, shaking and trembling.

Hans noticed this and sneered. "Looks like your Servant is in trouble. If your command seal is hurting bad enough for you to fall to your knees, that means he's almost at his limit." He stepped on one of the broken ice crystals at his feet, grinding it into the concrete with the heel of his brown oxfords. With a sigh and languid shrug of his shoulders, he commented, "I guess he wasn't strong enough to be a match against even an assassin class servant."

Elsa grit her teeth together as she looked up at Hans approaching her slowly, ominously leering at her as he produced a magic circle that surrounded his hand. She willed herself to get up, but instead, she found that all the strength in her legs were gone.

"You know - isn't it ironic?" he asked as he stood before her. Hans knelt down in front of her and took hold of her delicate jaw. He chuckled lowly and said, "you wanted to win this war so bad, but it looks like you'll be the first master to die. What a shame -"

She vehemently spat at him, still paralyzed with pain from her command seal. A defiant look fuel by extreme hate crossed her eyes. Her saliva hit him squarely on the face and Hans simply let out a wry chuckle as he wiped it off cleanly with his thumb.

Elsa sharply yelped as he backhanded her across the face without any warning. She could feel the burning sting from his slap on her cheek, but that hardly compared to the pain that her command seal provided. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth from accidentally biting her own tongue during the impact.

Hans let out a dry laugh at her misery. "I've always wanted to do that, you know," he said amusedly, "after all those times you humiliated me at school -"

" - You were _bullying_ , Jack -" she whispered through clenched teeth. Elsa spat out a bit of blood from her mouth as she glared at him. "I just gave you a taste of your own medicine. Only a _cowardly_ mage would torment a defenseless human with magecraft."

He scoffed. "Jack was pathetic. Being the son of two prominent mages and zero ability to perform magecraft," Hans chuckled lowly as he took hold of Elsa's chin once more. "He still is pathetic. Wielding those mortal instruments thinking that they'll be useful in this war, following an equally pathetic bitch like you around like a _whipped dog_ -"

It all happened so fast.

First Elsa heard a loud gunshot, then she saw blood, then she heard Hans let out a strangled cry in pain as he held his bleeding arm. Her head snapped over to the direction of the bullet that had flown just a few inches away from her. "Jack!" she exclaimed, her face brightening up at the sight of all the defeated vampires behind him and his emergence as the victor. Although, despite that, he was in a visibly bad state.

Jack had a large bleeding wound on his neck that extended down to the shoulder. His trenchcoat was seeped in crimson red blood and the wound on his arm from earlier seemed to be bleeding out more. He panted heavily as he staggered over to Hans, gun raised and pointed at him. "You…" he said in a raspy voice, "touch her again...and I'll shoot."

The blond looked up at the sky and saw that the marble reality was starting to shatter. The night sky was alight with dozens of small cracks.

Hans haughtily laughed as he managed to get back up onto his feet. "Look at you, Jack - you can't even threaten me properly. How do you intend to shoot with your arm so mangled up? Can you even aim well when you're shaking that badly?"

Jack drew in a sharp breath as he tried to tighten his hold on the gun, willing himself to stop shaking, but failing to do so. He was close to collapsing from his injuries and it was getting harder to stay conscious by each passing second. Despite this, he ground his teeth together and growled, "I managed to get you in the arm, didn't I?"

Narrowing his forest green eyes at the young man before him, Hans held his injured arm, finding that he was unable to move it properly without pain shooting through his body. "So you're a lucky shot -" he sneered.

" - That _wasn't_ luck," Jack whispered dangerously. His usually warm, kind brown eyes flickered with an aggressive animosity that Elsa didn't know that he had.

Hans chuckled wryly as his marble reality began crumbling around them. "So you _could_ have killed me if you wanted to? Is that what you're saying?" He suddenly threw his head back and laughed raucously at the two of them. Neither Elsa, nor Jack said anything to him, wary of what he would do now that he was slowly being forced into a corner. Hans' laughter soon came to a gradual stop, but the arrogant grin on his face remained. "You must be kidding! Surely, you _must_ be! You could have killed me, but you chose not to? What kind of _fairy tale_ are you two living in?"

Elsa and Jack both averted their gaze in discontent, aware of their shortcomings, but finding it hard to accept when it was pointed out by another, especially when that person is their sworn enemy.

"These wars are _kill_ or _be killed_! There is no _'in-between'_!" Hans suddenly dismissed his marble reality altogether with a swift, downward motion of his arm. The entire surroundings seem to shatter all around them. He chuckled when he saw Jack slowly drop his gun. "Don't kid yourselves. You two aren't even ready for the brutality this war will bring."

The brunette keenly noticed how badly Hans' arm was trembling, but it wasn't the arm he had shot - it was the arm bearing his command seal. Jack said nothing in comment, simply taking a mental note of this strange fact.

"Perhaps I'll just take pleasure in watching you two succumb to one of the other Masters," he said with a malicious smirk. With those being his final, parting words, a swirling black sand erupted from the ground beneath his feet and swallowed him up. In a violent whirlwind, that Elsa and Jack had to shield their eyes from, Hans disappeared from the spot. Not a trace of him remained when they managed to reopen their eyes soon after.

"Damn it," Jack whispered under his breath. He looked towards Elsa, who struggled to get back up onto her feet. His body trembled as he managed to limp over to help her. The blood loss he was experiencing was getting too severe. "Elsa," he muttered, helping her up.

"I'm fine," she told him, holding her right hand. "I can sense that Caster's in trouble. Hans' marble reality must have taken a toll on his abilities." Elsa looked to Jack, worriedly eyeing the injuries he sustained while fighting off the vampires.

The brunette shook his head weakly. "Don't worry about me. You need to go help Caster. I'll tend to my own wounds."

"But -!"

"I'll be fine. Just go," he ordered her. Jack mustered up his trademark, goofy grin to further reassure her. "We have first-aid stuff in our luggage."

Elsa continued to stare at the bite wounds he had on his neck and shoulders. "I don't think a couple of bandages would help those, Jack," she said in a deadpanned fashion.

Jack flinched visibly and his hand practically flew up to his neck, clasping at the area where the most severe bite wound was. He waved off Elsa's growing concern. "Let's just get Caster and find a motel somewhere. Okay?" He tried to keep a relaxed face as a tingling sensation began tugging at his injuries. "It isn't...as bad as it looks," he said, letting out a slight laugh afterwards.

The platinum blond eyed him one last time before letting out a defeated sigh in response. "Fine," she said, "I'll go to Caster."

"I'll catch up," Jack told her, mustering up a smile as he silently wished that she would leave already. His hand squeezed at the injury that was now pulsating with an energy that cooled and soothed the area. He waited until Elsa left the rooftop, to take his hand off of the area.

A breath that he had kept held in, came out in a loud gasp as he practically ripped off the trench coat from his body. Jack threw it down and trembled as the familiar energy consumed his entire body before slowly receding. He ran his hand over his neck and shoulders, finding the remnants of his own slick blood upon his skin, but no irregular gashes or wounds remained.

Ever since he was born, Jack knew that he healed a lot quicker than the other children. Injuries he received from Hans' bullying would heal overnight or at most, only two days. As he grew older, he began to notice his wounds would heal incredibly fast, faster than they did when he was a child. Jack grew aware of this abnormal phenomenon, so he kept it hidden from everyone, including his own parents and Elsa. Although it was helpful, especially for situations like the current one, he was frightened by this ability he possessed.

Jack looked down at his arm, where Assassin had attacked him on, only to find dried blood, but no wound. His thumb ran over the newly formed, smooth skin and he drew in a sharp breath, holding the area tightly as he hunched his back. He knew that this wasn't magecraft, as healing was an impossible magic for mages.

So what was it?

"What the hell _am I_ …?"

* * *

 **Next** **chapter:** _The Invitation_

* * *

 **A/N**

I think the most hotly debated/discussed theory that people have been PM-ing/reviewing about is Jackson's role in this entire thing.

You guys will see soon enough :) I think for those that have watched Fate/Zero, you might have been tipped off this chapter as to Jackson's true role. It's very interesting to hear all the guesses and theories you guys have though! The explanation will tie up the loose ends/supposed "plot holes" (that I'm well aware of) of Jack's reason for his lack of ability to perform magecraft, this newly introduced healing ability, and other facts that I have introduced in this fic. How about a clue? The King of Burgess plays a larger role than it may seem. :)

As always, thank you so much for the reviews/follows/favs!

I have an overwhelming urge to write a Psycho-Pass AU for Jelsa, similar to how this one is a Fate/Zero AU. I'll probably start it after Oath is done. :) For those that watched Psycho-Pass, I can just imagine Elsa as a newbie Inspector and Jack as an ex-Inspector/turned Enforcer because a past case fucked up his psycho pass. I think it'll be an interesting premise!

-ZERO-

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

The Atlantean \- Yes ; A; You can't really blame him either since, as it's been revealed in this chapter, that he was forced to watch her die in front of him before he was killed as well. Unfortunately though, Elsa's starting to fall for him too. ): The drama that shall ensue~

Shidake \- Ah thank you! I try not to make things too confusing, especially since it seems like a majority of my readers don't know a thing about Fate. Yes, Jack you stay away - Elsa belongs with Jackson ):

Guest \- Thank you ; v ; ! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!


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